


Yang And Yin

by LadyTheWarrior



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Multi, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-26
Updated: 2016-06-03
Packaged: 2018-05-03 12:24:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 33,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5290682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyTheWarrior/pseuds/LadyTheWarrior
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She's a recently divorced ER doc with trust issues. He's a successful lawyer with a dark past. They meet each other in a party and fall. What could possibly go wrong? " Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight. For I never saw true beauty till this night. " [SasuSaku Modern!AU]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: Yang**

**...**

Sakura slumped in a chair exhausted after scrutinizing the charts of the last six patients she'd seen. She was careful not to make any mistake. Tsunade Senju, the administrator at the hospital, was a very strict woman, constantly riding the doctor's arses with threats of potential lawsuits and horrifying stories of vengeful family members.

She glanced up at the clock and sighed. It was late as usual and she had been working for twenty hours straight with cup after cup of coffee to make sure she stays awake and cautious on the job. Sure it wasn't fair at all, even insane by human standards, except for the ever angry lady Tsunade.

Not that she had any complaints. After her divorce, she was a mess. She rarely left home and spent plenty of time in bed. At some point she even stopped paying taxes; therefore all her connections were cut off from the outside world. She literally lived in darkness, from time to time she lit up a candle only to read the same book for what felt like the thousandth time. Eating infrequently and devoting most of her thoughts thinking about how she regretted every decision she had made thus far, were the cherries on top of her problems.

Then she woke up one day and saw that not only five months of her life had turned into ashes but also...

She was dead.

On the inside, she didn't feel her heart beating, she didn't feel anything. Not even regret or sorrow, she just felt an empty hole inside her chest, an eternal abyss that swallowed every trace of emotion only to suffocate them. That day she decided to go back to the real world which was working as an ER doctor in Konoha Hospital under Tsunade's supervision.

Now her times in the hospital were solid, as they seemed to be a relief especially with Ino around, her best friend since childhood and now one of her colleagues.

Ino let out a visible sigh to draw Sakura's attention as she threw her chart on the desk and stretched her back, unlike Sakura it was Ino's night shift.

"You know, I was thinking that a party wouldn't be that bad."

She would say so from time to time, trying to encourage her into meeting more people other than the patients and hospital staff, the only problem was that; Sakura wasn't interested. She knew Ino meant well and she deeply cared for her but she wasn't really into it so she often shrugged it off, this time though Ino was more persistence than ever.

"I mean New Year's Eve would be a good time to throw a party, right? To dance and drink and have fun- hm? What do you say, Sakura?"

Her jade eyes never left the chart in her hand even once, "Yeah sounds good, I suppose." She was too tired to verbally spar with her right now.

"So you're coming?" From the corner of her eye she saw Ino, getting up from her chair and putting her hands on her hips.

"No." Sakura didn't need to think twice. It was her answer all those times before, what could change her mind now?

"C'mon Sakura! It's just one New Year's Eve party, you can't reject this!"

"I have-" Sakura clicked her tongue, "I have other plans."

"And what, would those 'plans' be, I wonder?" Ino raised her brow and cupped her chin sarcastically, "Sit in a corner and sob over fictional characters from a god-knows-what novel and eat unhealthy greasy foods, maybe?"

Sakura's eyebrow twitched, she couldn't believe Ino was starting this conversation all over again and it didn't matter how much she tried to ignore her and act cool, Ino, was once again getting on her nerves. _How dare she insult, her favourite play._

"First of all Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare is actually a famous play and the characters are not fictional, their story is based on the life of two real lovers who lived in Verona, Italy who both died for each other. Second of all, not everything that doesn't have green in it is unhealthy!" She shook her head in anger, "And yes, Ino, that is exactly what I've planned to do on New Year's Eve."

"Blah-blah-blah, whatever, those things make you fat, but that's not my point! The point is that I'm not going to let you ruin your New Year's Eve day, slouching back in your apartment, it's not just sad but, staying in a closed space for long and not taking showers make you smell like a rotten cherry!" She reconsidered for a second before pulling a face in disgust.

Rising from her seat, Sakura didn't plan to stand down, "I'm not changing my mind, Ino-pig!" she gazed into Ino's eyes.

"I'll make you, billboard-forehead!" Ino leaned closer.

"Go ahead and give it a try you toothpick!"

"Who did you just call toothpick, five-head!"

"My forehead's totally fine! You're just a jealous pig!"

"Jealous, of what, your gigantic forehead?"

"Well I'm prettier." Sakura smirked.

"You're a mess!" Ino finally said.

Sakura's eyes widened before she cast them down. "Yeah I'm a mess; tell me something I don't know." She murmured, but still managed to smile and when she lifted her head to look at Ino but, much to her surprise Ino's eyes were glittering with tears.

"I'm sorry Sakura but I...I just don't want to see you like this," She bit her bottom lip, "The way you're acting...even now… "

"Wh-what do you mean Ino?" Now she was completely lost.

"Acting all strong like you care less about anything or anyone," And that was just a flicker that awakened Sakura. For a second she thought she just had a heart attack when she felt her chest tightened and she was unable to breathe. How could she be so selfish? Thinking as long as she put on a mask she could bury her vulnerable self somewhere deep down, out of reach. But oh wasn't she so wrong?

"Just tell me, for how long are you going to grieve over some bastard who broke your heart and ran away? It's already been six months you have to move on now. You've never been a girl like this before, remember how you attended every party, danced, drank and laughed like there was no tomorrow, you were a happy girl, how can you forget your true nature?"

"Ino…I…"She was speechless, she didn't know what to say, how to respond, she was shocked, and scared. To go back to whom she was? Wasn't that a bit much? That person was so naïve; that person could love anyone unconditionally but, what good was in it for her? The fact that she was cheated on; betrayed and was left alone? No, she could never return to her old self ever again. Everything was different now.

"Sakura, please do this for me, there's still light in this world, things that are worth living for. Please trust me, don't build up walls around your heart again." Her voice was soothing though and melted her resolve. She nodded tentatively. She couldn't believe for the first after all those months she was forced to bring her guard down and give up.

"Yeah, okay." Still, she rolled her eyes."Only this once."

What Ino did next wasn't that surprising at all; she screamed and jumped over the desk to hug Sakura as she giggled hysterically. Sakura smiled at her as brightly as she could manage. As heartbroken as she really was, she still didn't want to break anybody else's heart.

Just then the door to their room burst open and the firm figure of none other than, Lady Tsunade, appeared at the door, "Sakura, Ino, just what the hell is going on here? This is a hospital for Kami's sake! Keep it down ladies, or I'll be forced to do something about it!" She yelled irritatingly.

The two girls looked stunned, "Y-yes, Tsunade-sama."

* * *

"How old are you now?" Ino asked out of the blue.

She and Sakura took a taxi to a club downtown where Ino had invited all of their friends to for the New Year's Eve party.

It was still a few hours till sunset. Since Ino was the host, she wanted to get to the club sooner than the others for further preparations and because she didn't trust Sakura to come to the party on her own, she dragged her along with her. She might as well have gotten a leash for her since she would sneak away any time.

"Younger than your grandma!" Sakura snickered, still feeling a bit resentful about accepting Ino's offer.

"Ha-ha, well, aren't you a funny little girl Sakura-chan!" Ino brushed it off right away, "I'm just saying we're young and single and tonight there are a lot of opportunities for both of us."

"Opportunities? What kind of opportunities are you looking for granny?" Sakura teased her, amused.

Ino waved her away, "I mean to meet new people, some young gentlemen to be exact and we could actually, you know, communicate." She smiled, crossing her legs and threading her fingers into her blond hair playfully.

"Thank you but, I'll pass." Sakura responded flatly, "I'm done with communicating with gentlemen." She pronounced the last word bitterly. She had only accepted Ino's offer for Ino, nothing more than that.

* * *

"Want to dance?"

"No thanks, I'm fine."

"You sure, baby?"

She was leaning back against a wall next to the bar when this inebriated man approached her. Feeling his eyes rake down her body. She frowned and shouldered her way through the crowd making sure she kept a good distance away from others.

In the past two hours, she hadn't seen even one familiar face and the worst thing was that even Ino was nowhere to be found. She had completely ditched her. Sakura should've know better than to trust her, she always did this at the parties; running off somewhere with some guy to only get busy and forget about her friend. But, no, Sakura never learned from her mistakes and now, here she was stuck among all these strangers she had never met before in her life and if there was only one thing she was sure about was that: none of them were actually gentlemen.

_That damn, Ino-pig._

_Blast it!_  She was even running out of drinks, feeling a bit drunk under the dizzy lights Sakura ended up walking back to the bar to get more when she bumped into something, to be more specific, someone.

A tall raven-haired figure in a fine black tuxedo was holding her slender shoulders firmly and looking at her somehow, worriedly. His lips moved slowly.

For a moment, Sakura felt the crowd around them fade; there was only the mysterious stranger and her in the middle of the room. Even the sound of loud music was gone.

 _Only silence._  As if she was pulled out of really, into a dream.

She could see that his lips were moving but, she didn't hear anything. Her eyes were locked on his dark ones when something bizarre happened. Something Sakura never expected to happen at all.

_Thump…Thump_

The sound of her heart, her heart was beating.

She was alive.

And it scared her.

**...**

**TBC...**


	2. Chapter two :Yin

**Chapter two: Yin**

**...**

"Yo, Sasuke!"

Sasuke sighed at the sight of his crew, getting ever bigger and louder overtime.

He waved at them and let a tiny smile grace his lips. Although he really wasn't pleased with the fact that every time he succeeded in a case, his friends threw a party for him, he was thankful. What else could he do? These people were the only ones who kept him sane in this  _insanity_  he called  _his life._

Of course, no one ever noticed a single thing about how he or his life was a complete mess. With a crazy ex-girlfriend and an older brother who was a fugitive for years now. Sure, he was a wreck but he was also too skilled in veiling his emotions, so no one could ever read his mind or even guess what was going on in his heart.

"You go, Uzumaki!" called the red-head, Gaara. He was one of Sasuke's new colleagues who originally came from a place called Sabaku. He was weird and he rarely talked. They first met in a court to fight over a case. Sasuke had to admit Gaara was a good lawyer even though Sasuke won the case back then; he always praised him as one of the best. Of course, Sasuke never said it out loud but, it was the truth after all. They became friends after a while, more acquaintances really but, they both enjoyed each other's company.

Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke's childhood friend. Although he was a *dobe as Sasuke put it, and they spent almost 90% of the time arguing and insulting each other like immature brats, they'd forged a strong bond. They were like brothers. Sasuke knew after his parents' death, Naruto was the only real family he ever had.

And therefore Naruto was the one to be blamed for throwing these kinds of parties all the time. That knucklehead always tried to cheer him up in every way possible.

The blond grinned widely before patting Sasuke's shoulder and handing him a glass of beer.

"Now that we're all drunk, let's just front-load the ceremonial bullshit!" He beamed, raising his glass. With that all the other guys and girls around them raised their glasses as well and cheered at once."To the best lawyer in the whole country!"

Sasuke raised his glass and smirked. Deep inside, he was very delighted.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a sec," The blond drunk raised a finger, scowling at the girls around "*Teme can't be the best ladies. Not while I'm still alive."

Sasuke raised a brow and others groaned.

_Here we go again._

"Shut up, dobe, even someone as thick-headed as you know that I'm the best." Sasuke responded coolly. He couldn't help it; he liked teasing Naruto from time to time.

"Whaddya say, 'ttabyo?" Naruto growled, "Lookin' for a fight?"

"Hn." Sasuke knew ignoring Naruto drove the man crazy.

"Teme."

"Dobe."

"I can't believe you guys are starting this all over again." Neji Hyuuga crossed his arms and let out a sigh in frustration. He was their old classmate back in high school who, after graduating, went to medical school. Now he was an ophthalmologist, working in Konoha hospital.

Naruto opened his mouth to retort but he was interrupted by the most unmotivated person amongst them.

"So Uchiha, I still don't get it, how exactly could you squeeze a man like Orochimaru through the door of reasonable doubt whereas most of us believed one hundred percent that he was guilty?" Nara asked in suspicious, ignoring Naruto's childish babbling.

Shikamaru Nara. A.K.A the smartest and also the laziest student back in law school. Everybody knew Nara wasn't that fond of the famous Uchiha. Both of them were smart and had earned the best grades but, in the end Uchiha was always top of the class. Had Nara been a little motivated, Sasuke bet he could have beaten him easily. But Shikamaru never cared about the grades or being the best, he just did what he had to do.

But if there was one thing he hated the most, it was cheating. For some bizarre reason he thought that Uchiha, who had never lost even one case, wasn't as honest as others probably thought he was.

Sasuke of course didn't care about what others thought or said about him, he always did what he thought was the right thing to do.

"Oi, Shikamaru," Nara turned to face Kiba Inuzuka, the dog lover. His house was literally a pet store with the many dogs he kept; no wonder he always smelled like a wet dog that, not only his friends but, even his clients called him 'Kiba Dog' and he didn't seem to be offended by that at all.

He, who had both of his arms wrapped around two girls was obviously drunker than everybody else, "Why don't you quit being a party-pooper and have a drink yourself?" He sneered and the girls giggled. "We don't discuss the damn case anymore!"

Shikamaru frowned but, he didn't say anything, not that he could. For a guy like him it was probably too troublesome to argue with a drunken dog. Instead he was handed a glass of wine by Choji, his closest friend, and tried to loosen up a bit and enjoy the moment.

"Good evening, gentlemen."

The feminine voice drew everybody's attention to the red-headed woman with glasses, walking gracefully towards them. Sasuke glanced at her through narrowed eyes.

Karin Uzumaki. One of Naruto's many cousins.

He never really liked her. She had this bad habit of making people uncomfortable with her unexpected behavior at times, not to mention that she also treated men like they were her personal slaves.

Karin was also a lawyer. A sexy, smart and proud woman who had many men falling at her feet, just lining up to date her.

Not Sasuke though, definitely not him.

"I'm happy that you all showed up, although we're here to celebrate and congratulate Sasuke-kun's success in another trial case, this is also a New Year Eve's party that my friend, Ino, arranged and she was ever kind to invite us all as well."

Everybody blinked in confusion. Even Sasuke was caught off guard. Now that he realized the party wasn't Naruto's idea this time, he felt more than a little tensed. And it wasn't just him. All the other guys, except the blond, were shocked. Sasuke rubbed his temple and let the cold, emotionless mask cover his face once again.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner that this was Karin's idea?" He hissed into Naruto's ear.

"What's the big deal? She asked me not to tell you or the others. She wanted to surprise you!"

"Yeah thanks, you know that I don't like surprises, Naruto!" He gritted.

"C'mon man, it's just a party and besides Karin wasn't actually responsible for it, it's that girl's party, uh, what was her name? Inga, Ilna, Inna… "

"Ino," Sasuke faced palmed.

"Yeah that," Naruto grinned and elbowed Sasuke, "Have fun man!"

"Am I right, Sasuke-Kun?"

Sasuke looked at Karin who was poking his chest gently and her face was only inches away from him as she batted her eyelashes tantalizingly. Sasuke gulped and took a step away from her.

"I don't know, are you?" He said nonchalantly, taking a sip from his drink.

Karin frowned, "You don't even know what I was talking about."

If there was only one person who could turn the tables and actually make Karin feel awkward, it was Sasuke.

He shrugged, "Probably some nonsense," He raised a brow at her which made her face flush in anger, he then looked at the other guys, "I gotta go."

"Where?" Naruto immediately jumped up and gripped Sasuke's sleeve which caused him to earn a good long glare from his friend.

"To piss," Sasuke finally said bluntly before pulling back and walking away from them.

The loud music mixed with all the cheering and praising made Sasuke dizzy. He actually tried to take some sips of his drink but, it made him nauseous. He wasn't a man for these sorts of places. From a corner, he could see his friends, talking, laughing and dancing and he imagined himself being between them. Although most of the time he was the reason for all these gatherings, he always felt this feeling of loneliness even with so many people around. He knew, no matter how much he tried, this wasn't in his nature; he was never going to fit in there.

He preferred a quitter place where he could discuss his favourite books and music with good company.

_Good company, like a woman?_

He smirked at the thought. He had this idea for so many years now. To feel something pure that could pull him out of the hell he was living in. Maybe that was the reason he attended these parties and always tried to meet new people. He was looking for someone, someone who would light up the darkness in his heart.

Six years ago, with his brother's incident, Sasuke's world crumbled down. That was when he met his ex. She was a savior, an angel at first sight. He fell for her but, later she turned out to have serious mental problems.

Sasuke didn't want to think about her at the moment. He grimaced inwardly when he thought about how she tortured him mentally. And still he wasn't able to let her go. He never wanted to hurt her and it didn't matter if he was the one who got hurt the most.

In the end he was able to break up with her with Naruto's help. Still, he felt her shadow followed him everywhere. She might have been gone but, her traces still lingered in Sasuke's life.

To be able to get away from her memories, Sasuke dated Karin. Only once and it was truly a huge mistake. Karin wasn't particularly a bad woman, she was unique in her own way but, she wasn't what he was looking for. She wasn't the one to rest her head on his lap and listen to his voice while he was reading a book, only to be drifted away by sleep.

Over time, Sasuke was led to believe, either he was only being the sentimental dreamer or he was all wrong about the definition of love. But that wasn't the point. He had endured many things in his life then, might as well do the same now.

He shook his head and resumed walking to the bathroom only to bump into a small figure.

His glass fell on the ground and broke into pieces but, it didn't matter even in the slightest when he caught the sight of a pair of emerald eyes. They shone incredibly bright in the darkness.

His breath was taken away.

And everything turned to slow motion.

The girl with those pink haired locks that were the exact same color as her cheeks was looking straight at him and in that moment only one phrase came into Sasuke's mind.

_"Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight. For I never saw true beauty till this night. "_

**...**

**TBC...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Dobe meaning idiot in Japanese
> 
> Teme meaning bastard in Japanese  
> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it 
> 
> Please, if possible leave a review and/or comment
> 
> Disclaimer: Naruto's not mine, the series and the characters all belong to Kishimoto Masashi. I just own the AU and the storyline.


	3. Chapter 3

Emerald met onyx, and two souls touched.

There was this uncanny blissful feeling Sakura felt inside that she didn't know where it came from? Perhaps it was the eyes. Yes, it had to have come from his eyes. There was a mysterious aura hidden in them which pierced her soul. Like they recognized no barriers, they penetrated the walls she had built up ever so carefully around her heart. Those sharp eyes of his were focused, not on her body or anywhere else, but only on her own eyes.

For a split second the pink-haired girl found herself on the edge of a fascinating waterfall, late at night. Even though the scenery was heavenly and peaceful the moment her eyes fell on the deathly height, fear of falling clung onto her heart.

_No, she couldn't take the risk. She had to step back. She had to walk away._

The harsh sound of the shattering glass snapped her awake. She shook her head and took a step back, naturally.

"I said, are you okay, Miss?"

It was so unlike Sasuke to talk to an anonymous woman, especially in a bar, with such a respectful tone. Usually he would be blunt and cold. He wouldn't bother with anyone let alone be worried over someone he barely knew or in this case didn't know at all, but there was something different about her and Sasuke was sure it wasn't just her pink locks that smelled like cherry blossoms.

Sakura wasn't drunk enough and yet she was ashamed to feel her cheeks were getting hot and had probably turned cherry red at the sight of the stranger, just like a school girl. She just needed to regain her confidence ASAP. This was no joke; she sure had embarrassed herself enough.

Maybe if she could stop admiring the raven- haired man's tall and in-shape figure, or his soft yet masculine features or even his weird spiky-hair that had fallen softly on either sides of his face, would suffice but then again that wasn't all. His low and deep voice on the other hand, made Sakura melt into a paste. It seemed like the guy was a full pack of sex, landing right in from of her feet.

_She. Just. Had. To. Stop. Now!_

"Y-yeah, I-I'm alright, " Surely not by stammering.

Sakura slapped herself inwardly as her eyes stumbled on the broken pieces of glass, "Oh shit, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm really clumsy-"

"No, that's okay." Sasuke couldn't help, but to smirk. The girl in front of him seemed undoubtedly amusing.

"How about I buy you a drink, "It was more of a demand coming from Sasuke than an offer, "If that's okay?" He said coolly, with his hands tucked into his pockets.

Sakura took a deep breath. Certainly, she could use a drink right now, but accepting this man's offer...

"Uh no thanks, I think I've had enough."

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock, it had never occurred to him to get rejected; normally girls would die to get his attention, even have a drink with him, but this girl... it seemed there was nothing normal about this one at all.

"I insist."

It was only a drink, right? It wasn't like he had proposed to her or something. Sakura narrowed her eyes. Even though she didn't like how demanding he sounded, she didn't want to sound unnecessarily stubborn and she really wanted another drink so she could just say-

"Okay," Her breezy smile made Sasuke's heart skip a beat.

She was definitely prettier when she smiled, he thought as they both walked to the bar.

"Beer?"

Standing next to the counter, Sakura, only nodded as her eyes darted into the crowd. Sasuke noticed how the girl seemed distracted, nervous even. His brows knitted.

"Looking for your boyfriend?"

"Uh no, no boyfriend, I'm actually… um… looking for my friend."

"Your friend?" He didn't want to admit it, but it was relieving to hear there was no boyfriend.

"Yeah," Sakura answered trying to avoid his gaze, but it seemed impossible, "Well… uh… you know she always ditches me at parties." She quaffed the glass of beer that the bartender left on the counter.

Sasuke tapped his finger on the counter, his eyes fixed on the girl. Now that he looked closely he could see that she had worn light make up, her dress wasn't that elegant like something Karin would usually choose to wear. It was only a silky red halter, brushing over her milky skin. It suited her small and slender body perfectly though. Still with all her simplicity she had stood out in the crowd. She had still managed to catch Sasuke's eyes, to make his heart beat like crazy inside his chest whenever she caught him looking at her.

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" Those words seemed to have lifted up from somewhere in Sasuke's subconscious, unknowingly.

Sakura almost choked on her drink when she heard the stranger's voice, sing into her ears.

"Thou art more lovely and more temperate: rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date. Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines." Sasuke finished with a confident smirk on his lips, his eyes never tearing apart from hers not even once.

It took Sakura a few seconds to get a hold of herself, she blinked a couple of times, making sure that she hadn't just imagined hearing stuff.

"Uh, did you just- "She pinched her own forearm, "Did you just quote Shakespeare?"

"You know Shakespeare?" Sasuke smirked, liking the sight of her bedazzlement.

"You're kidding me, right?" Sakura's eyebrows rose in surprise, "That was from Shakespeare's sonnets."

"Hn," Sasuke crossed his arms.

"No offense," Resting her elbows on the table, Sakura said, "I thought the race of men who knew Shakespeare was actually extinct." She said nonchalantly, before waving her hands.

"I thought so too," Sasuke picked up his glass, "About women." He said tauntingly as a smile crossed his face. "I still think so." He shrugged before taking a sip from his drink and looking challengingly at her.

Sakura felt her cheeks heat up at his snarky comment, "Well, obviously you aren't as Mr-knowing-it-all as you seem." She retorted before taking a deep breath.

"And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometimes declines, By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimm'd." She looked up at him, now smirking proudly.

"So it seems that you indeed know Shakespeare," Sasuke said, gazing at the woman with confidence. "What's your name anyway?" he blurted out.

"Wow," Sakura put her hands on her hips, titling her head, "So they ARE extinct after all." Sasuke cocked a brow as Sakura leaned against the counter, "You see, I thought only gentlemen know about Shakespeare and his poems," She said disdainfully, "But it seems I was wrong, again."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. He never thought that he, Sasuke Uchiha, of all people would get so highly offended by an ordinary girl. He opened his mouth ready to retaliate before he was interrupted by a female's high-pitched voice.

"Sakura!"

Both man and woman turned around to see a blond woman in a purple spagetti strapped top rushing at them. She almost crashed into Sakura's chest and squeezed herself right in between her and the mysterious dark man.

"I see you found yourself some hot company," She whispered, eyeing Sasuke up and down for a good five minutes. "Oh my god…" Her sea-green eyes widened in bemusement, "Oh. My. Gosh…" She leaned closer to Sasuke, making the dark-haired man step back uncomfortably, "You can't be him, no... you definitely can't be him, can you?"

Sasuke raised a brow in question. She truly seemed like all the other fan girls he had always been surrounded by. "Do I know you?" He asked unfazed.

"No, but I know you." She smiled, clearing her throat, "You're the famous Sasuke Uchiha, the best lawyer in the city, right?"

Sasuke sighed in relief then closed his eyes and took another sip from his drink.

"Sasuke…Uchiha?" Sakura repeated absentmindedly. "Ouch," She winced when Ino pinched her arm.

"I see that you two were having a rather…" She trailed off, "Heated conversation." Ino winked at Sakura, which made her jump a little in disbelief.

"No, no, it wasn't."

"By the way, I'm Ino Yamanaka," She stuck out her hand which Sasuke grasped and shook, nodding. "And I think you already met my friend, Sakura Haruno." She smiled back at the pink-haired girl, "She works in Konoha Hospital. "

"Ino!" Sakura threw Ino a warning glare which she dismissed quickly. Sakura just didn't understand how Ino could walk around and give her personal information to anybody.

She looked back at the dark-haired man, Sasuke, and forced a smile. "Yeah um… nice to meet you."

"You too." Sasuke greeted, "So, you are a doctor?"

"Yes, she is." Ino was the one who responded, earning another set of death glares from Sakura. She threw her a cheeky smile and stepped back smoothly, "Uh, so I leave you two to… um… communicate." she waved while mouthing ' Don't screw this up' to Sakura and disappearing once again in the crowd.

"Never mind her," Sakura smiled nervously, "I'm actually an ER doctor, just trying to help those in need."

"I see."

Sakura put the palm of her hand on her forehead. This was getting crazier by the second. She hadn't asked for this. She needed another drink right away. Calling for the bartender, there it was another pint of beer. She quaffed it without saying a word.

Sasuke watched her in silence, a caring look filled his face as he inched a bit closer without her noticing.

"So, what's your favourite play?" Sasuke asked all of a sudden, causing Sakura to look at him, once again in bewilderment.

"This might sound cheesy but, "She put the glass down and glanced at him, "Romeo and Juliet."

"Romeo and Juliet, is not cheesy." Sasuke stated sincerely, a smile ghosted his feature.

"Beauty's ensign yet is crimson in thy lips, and in thy cheek, And death's pale flag is not advanced there."

Sakura watched him speak. His eyes were closed and he had put on such a serene face that she could have never even imagined. Could he be…? Sakura bit her bottom lip again and tightened her grip around the glass. She didn't know if it was because of the alcohol or his voice, but she felt butterflies in her stomach like it was the real Romeo's voice, echoing in her head.

She looked at him with glossy eyes, "It's the scene where Romeo first thought Juliet was dead."

"Hn." He didn't look at her this time. He didn't even smirk. His eyes were fixed on the glass resting on the table, his fingers snaking around it.

"I will kiss thy lips; Haply, some poison yet doth hang on them, To make me die with a restorative."

A tear rolled down her cheek.

He looked at her and their eyes met for the second time. Sakura felt her heart race although this time she couldn't think straight, she was too drunk to bother anyway. It felt like she was dragged into a tale, she didn't know why it had to be so tragic and sad but then she realized she was a sad and tragic soul after all, with all these emotions piled up in her heart, but why him? Why this guy? Was he a mess too, to quote Romeo's last sentences of all? What was his story?

Sasuke didn't admit it, but feeling the heat of her body next to his, was driving him crazy. The soft whisper of her voice had bewitched him. Slowly he leaned closer, lifting his index finger and brushing it over her cheek to wipe the tear. She was pinned by his gaze. A satisfied smile ran on Sasuke's lips as he leaned in and closed his eyes-

"FOUND YOU!"

The loud voice, this time belongs to a familiar grown-up man landing straight on Sasuke's back and causing him to bend on the counter. Sakura stepped back immediately as her eyes fixed on a spiky blond haired man.

"Naruto…" Sasuke gritted threateningly, but said man didn't care at all when his azure eyes stumbled on Sakura.

Sakura blinked for a moment, processing the situation. It all happened so fast that she didn't know where she was standing at the moment.

"Whoa, well, aren't you a pretty little lady?"

Sakura frowned and felt a heated sensation on her cheeks. A mixture of anger and embarrassment took over her body.

"Back off, Naruto!" Sasuke snarled, not that he intended to, somehow he didn't appreciate the way his friend looked at the pink-haired girl.

"Gomen ne, gomen ne*." The blond broke into a grin, scratching the back of his head, "I'm being rude," He stepped between Sasuke and Sakura and stuck out his hand, "My name's Naruto Uzumaki," Sakura shook his hand tentatively, "And you are?"

"Sakura Haruno."

"Cool," He beamed, "You've good a beautiful name Sakura-chan, can I call you chan? Eh? "

Sakura chuckled, she didn't know why the blond, who had whiskers on his cheeks, reminded her of boisterous school boys; perhaps it was because he was loud or rude, or funny at the same time. Still he had this rare charisma that most of the people she had encountered before, lacked.

She smiled, nodding. "That's okay."

Sasuke had never felt this tense before. It took him moments to realize how hard he had been clenching his fists. He didn't like the way that Naruto made Sakura smile. But why would he care anyway was it jealousy? It wasn't like he actually liked the girl, was it?

"You and teme aren't goin' to dance?" Sasuke's eyes widened, shocked at Naruto's sudden question.

"Who?" Sakura asked sceptically.

"I mean Sasuke," Naruto looked back, confused, "I saw you two talk, aren't you his new girlfriend?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well, he has dated blond, black and red, only pink is left on the list." Naruto laughed unaware of the sudden awkwardness.

Sasuke scowled. He looked at Naruto furiously and opened his mouth to shut him up when his eyes once again locked on hers.

A look of hurt covered Sakura's face, and for a mere a second, Sasuke could've sworn that he saw her blinking away teary eyes.

"I'm not anyone's girlfriend." She gazed at him for a moment then started to walk away.

Sasuke was always fast to respond, every inch of him at that moment, wanted to run after her, wanted to take her hand and ask her to stay. His jaw clenched in agitation. For sure he was mad at Naruto and God knew how much he wanted to punch him in the face, but he was more hurt than angry.

"What just happened?" Naruto blinked dumbly, but Sasuke didn't care. His dark eyes followed her rosy traces in the crowd. Thinking what he should do. The last time he followed a girl he got stuck in an unhealthy relationship, so  _was it wise to go after her now? Was she even worth it?_

He didn't wait for an answer. Sasuke shouldered Naruto away and strode into the crowd.

Why did he feel like he had just lost something valuable? Why did he feel regret? He felt he had to explain to her but, why? Why did he even bother? Sasuke never explained his actions to anyone, why was this stranger an exception now? There was no answer, no logical reason for his feelings. But even that didn't stop him from running towards the exit.

It was too late, though.

She was gone.

Sasuke's eyes only recognized two red lights, shinning in the darkness and quickly blending in with the other lights in the busy street.

There was only three times that Sasuke felt so lost in life. First when he learnt about his parent's death, second was when he found out his beloved older brother was accused of murder and third... here and now.

A blinding white light lit up the area, followed by the deafening sound of thunder. A frosty raindrop fell on Sasuke's cheek as he looked at the angry clouds filling the night sky. Staring at the darkness, his eyes showed no emotion, his face as dead as a statue while deep inside there was a swirling storm going on.

The rain was just the beginning.

**...**

**TBC...**


	4. Chapter 4

When Sakura walked into the bathroom later that night, exhaustion from the emotional evening had washed over her. She turned on the shower and steam soon filled the room. Shortly after, warm water started pouring down and dripped on her bare shoulders, the earlier images swirled in her mind.

The truth was she had no idea why she had left the party. She didn't know why her chest ached either. It all seemed like a blurred memory to her. Her conversation with the stranger, him smiling at her, quoting her favourite play, her favourite character and getting so close to her that she could still feel his breath on her cheek. She barely knew the guy, still...

She felt like she had known him somehow. The minute his eyes locked with hers. Even when he spoke, his voice was demanding but filled with passion. Sakura didn't know why she felt like she was bewitched by his gaze. _But none of those mattered now, right?_ He was just a guy, flirting with a girl. She wasn't the first one of course; she wasn't any different from the others.

_The difference was just the heart. Sakura owned a cracked one, ready to be shattered._

A tear rolled down her face as she clutched her chest and sat under the pouring water. _Why did her heart beat so fast? Why did she feel so hurt then?_

Closing her eyes, she let the steamy sensation soothe her body. It calmed her and took her mind off things. As she tasted the salty flavour of her tears, she breathed deeply into the foggy room.

Whatever feeling it was, it all had passed now. She won't repeat the same mistake ever again.

* * *

Sasuke couldn't sleep.

He tossed and turned. He just couldn't find a comfortable position even though, he knew, the mattress wasn't the real source of his discomfort.

That evening, he didn't return to his friends. Instead he turned off his phone and ended up walking in the rain. It was freezing, but he didn't care at all. He didn't even remember for how long he was walking.

Aimlessly.

With his thoughts disarrayed. All he knew was that the pain of the past was once again crashing him down. _Why did he let his feeling cloud his judgment?_

Sasuke fumed with worry. Insomnia wasn't unknown to him. But this time it was different. Whenever he closed his eyes the image of the pink-haired girl came into his sight. He squeezed his eyes shut and he opened them again, but the image never faded. _How was she any different from the others? Besides her hair, besides her blunt attitude, what else was different about her?_ _Why did she feel so familiar yet so strange to him?_ He had no answer and whenever he wasn't able to solve a mystery to a case, it killed him.

He glanced at the clock. It was three. He had to get some sleep. Hopefully sleep would wipe away the little traces of her that remained in his mind.

* * *

"But what caused this sudden decision?"

Sakura didn't notice how whinny she sounded at the moment. Her body was tense as she glanced up at the hospital supervisor, Lady Tsunade.

The elder woman let out a sigh in agitation as she searched Sakura's face. It was the third time in the past few seconds that she had asked the same question and honestly, Tsunade was going to lose her patience any time now.

"Because you are exhausted, Sakura, I don't want you to freak out my patients with those eye bags." She leaned against her chair, crossing her arms, "Besides, you can use this chance to visit your uncle, too. Hasn't it been a while since you last saw him?"

Sakura's eyes widened. "But still, you can't ask me not to come to work." She said, ignoring the fact that Tsunade just mentioned her uncle.

Tsunade frowned. "I'm giving you a few days off, make the best out of it," She stated sternly, returning to her paperwork, "Now shoo, I'm busy."

Sakura didn't move, in fact she stayed there long enough to stare at Tsunade while she tried to swallow the lump forming in her throat. Why had the world suddenly turned against her? All she wanted right now was to drown herself in her job and to work her ass off. Taking care of patients and become the best in her career. Most importantly she wanted to forget about all those insignificant emotions that made a human being- such as herself- weak.

She just wanted to focus on her career, which was all she had ever worked for up until now, to be someone as professional in medicine as lady Tsunade, she had to work hard. Of all the people Tsunade was the only one that knew about her goal in life, so why was she asking her to take a break, now? There shouldn't have to be any break on her way to reaching her dreams.

"You're still here?" Sakura was startled when she heard Tsunade's irritated tone. She knew better than to make her angry, yet she just did it. The younger woman took a step back but it was too late, she was caught by her livid gaze.

Sakura's sweat dropped.

"I said leave! NOW!"

Sakura could swear that the earth beneath her feet had just started to shake by Tsunade's loud shout. So instead of waiting for yet another wave of her anger she ran out the room as a chair was sent flying over her head. Fortunately she was fast enough to dodge it in time and close the door behind her back.

Sakura leaned against the door for a few second, taking a deep breath as she wiped away the sweat forming on her forehead. There was no argument now; she had to do what she had been ordered to do, which meant resting. Maybe Tsunade wasn't that wrong. After all, in the last few months, Sakura was working nonstop; taking night and day shifts, staying in on behalf of her colleagues all the time. Sometimes she even dozed off during the day. Her lack of sleep was obvious not even to her supervisors but also the patients.

And here Sakura was always mentally nagging about why Tsunade didn't give them some days off. Now that she had earned a chance to actually take a break, she wasn't happy about it. Ino was right, just _what the heck was wrong with her? What was she looking for exactly?_

Sakura took a turn right down the hallway, where her room was located, passing by the nurses and doctors, she merely shook her head at them in greeting.

Maybe visiting her uncle wasn't such a bad idea, she thought. Surely the guy was weird and all, but spending time with him was also fun. Besides, he had been living in the countryside for a while now. So this trip would allow her to leave the hustle and bustle of a city life and enjoy the fresh air, rolling green hills and azure sky of the countryside.

Opening the door to her room, Sakura closed her eyes and let the cold breeze that was blowing through the half-open window, brush over her cheeks. Now that she thought about it, she really had missed those days when she lived a peaceful life in the country.

It didn't last long when the sensation of an uncomfortable vibration, caused by her cell phone, dragged her out of her daydreaming. Groaning, Sakura took it out to see it was a message notification from an anonymous number. Her brows knitted. _Who could it be?_

She touched the screen to read the text message, her eyes widened in confusion.

**'It was a pleasure meeting you at the party, Miss Haruno. I'm gravely sorry for what had happened the other night, though. Still I'm looking forward to make it up to you, somewhere during this week, maybe? –Uchiha'**

Her breath caught in her throat, the moment her eyes stumbled on the last word.

_Uchiha…_

_Wasn't he that guy she had encountered at the party a few nights, ago?_ She wasn't paying any attention at that moment or maybe she was too drunk back then to memorize the name, but now that she thought about it the last name seemed to be familiar to her. Slowly walking behind her desk, she collapsed into a chair as she read the text over and over again.

It didn't change. It was the same all along, the phrase, the meaning and the last word, 'Uchiha'. Her heart was pounding and she couldn't really tell where this ecstasy had come from. For a moment she wanted to grin as widely as it was possible, but then again _what was the point of it?_ So instead she pulled a face, thinking _how did this guy find her phone number?_

She rubbed her temple. _That damn, Ino,_ once again went ahead and pried into things that was none of her business.

"Oh girl, I swear these patients have officially worn me out, I can't even-"

Ino stopped midway only to be greeted by Sakura's death glares. If looks could kill, she has dropped dead a thousand times by now. But Ino was never a girl to give up any chances to challenge her grumpy childhood friend.

"What is it this time, pinkette?" She asked half-heartedly only to earn a glare even deadlier this time. She waved it away of course, crossing her arms and sitting right in front of the other girl, eyeing her, disdainfully.

"What sin have I committed this time, oh-my-dear-queen?" Ino said sarcastically with a raised eyebrow.

"It's really heart warming Ino, to hear you admit that you have actually done something wrong!" Sakura felt her left eyebrow twitching insanely in anger.

Ino shrugged. "I don't know; you're the one who acts like a drama queen all the time."

Sakura's forehead creased in frustration. _How could she act so calm about this? Did she not realize what she'd done?_

"And you're acting like a nosy teenager."

Ino's eyes widened this time in confusion, she held up her hands immediately. "Okay, I honestly don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm talking about this," Sakura brought her phone and shook its screen in front of Ino. "Can you tell me what THIS is?"

"A phone?"

"Stop acting all innocent! Why did you give my number to this- this stranger?" Sakura pointed her finger to the phone.

"Who?" Ino raised an eyebrow, aversely.

"The guy at the party!"

"Which one?"

"INO!" Sakura stood up and shouted in exasperation.

"What?" Ino slowly rose from her chair too, putting her hands on her hips. "Is there something wrong with being the best possible friend you can ask for?"

"Going around and giving my personal information to every stranger you come across, isn't called an act of friendship, Ino?" Sakura retorted.

"Why? I'm just trying to find you a decent boyfriend," Pushing aside her well-cared for blond hair, Ino stated coolly. "Because it seems that you're completely incapable of doing that on your own."

"What if I don't want to have a boyfriend, Ino? What if I want to die ALONE?"

"That's debatable."

"Ino, I'm serious."

"So am I."

Sakura paused for a second, brushing her hand over her face. She took a deep breath. "Why did you give my number to him?"

"I ask again, who?"

 _Honestly, was Ino just trying to drive her crazy?_ It seemed like the blond took joy in her annoyance. "You know who, the guy with…that guy with-"

Cutting her off excitedly, Ino winked. "You mean that smoking hot guy in the black tuxedo whom you were flirting with?"

"Yes that-" Sakura trailed off before considering what Ino just said. "And no, I wasn't flirting."

"Oh, you so were flirting with him."

"No, I wasn't."

"You were."

"I wasn't."

"You were."

"Yeah, okay whatever." Now Sakura felt her head was exploding." Just don't change the subject, why didn't you tell me that you went ahead and gave my number to him without asking my permission."

"I felt the need to." Ino smiled proudly, making Sakura blink in confusion. _She was getting impossible._

"What- what do you mean you felt the need to? Gosh Ino you're driving me crazy!"

"Don't blame your insanity on me, doctor. Besides there's nothing wrong with me giving your number to him, he was a gentleman oh and… above all he was Sasuke Uchiha, like THE famous Uchiha, chicks would die to meet him." Ino continued her ranting, not paying the slightest attention to Sakura."But now that I think about it I didn't technically give your number to him but to his-"

"Just shut up!" Punching the desk in front of her, rather aggressively, Sakura tried to regain her control."If he is the-oh-so-important Uchiha, why didn't you give your own number to him?"

"Just so you know, I found myself a better guy, he's actually an artist." Ino's eyes glowed in excitement. "Oh and he invited me to his gallery this weekend. He may be a little bit socially awkward, but he's still cute."

"Ino would you just tell me what I should do with the mess that you've made?"

"You said he had texted you? What did he say?"

Sakura stepped back and sat on her chair, putting her head on the desk in defeat. "He said that he wants to make it up to me."

"Why? What happened between you two?" This time Ino asked worriedly.

Sakura didn't answer right away. In her mind she was searching for the right answer, but she didn't find any. It was three days ago and she didn't quite remember why she had left or why she was so upset.

She only shrugged. "I don't know, I just left the party."

"Did he say something?"

 _Nothing._ Maybe that was the reason she had left.

"No, it was just-you know…"

"Did you really have to show him your crazy side too?" Ino asked, smirking.

"Shut up!" Sakura put the palm of her hands on her head and closed her eyes, whispering."I can't believe I'm telling you all this."

But she soon snapped them open when she felt thin arms snaking around her shoulders. She looked shockingly at Ino who was attempting to somehow soothe her.

"Aw, you know you love me Sakura."

"I don't! Get off me, Ino!" Freeing herself from Ino's grip, Sakura groaned as Ino started laughing.

"Okay, now what do you want to tell him?" She asked in a friendly tone.

"I'll tell him there's no need to do so. I'm not upset with him." Sakura reasoned. _What else would she say?_ She just wanted to avoid further problems.

Ino gasped in horror." How can you say that? You should totally accept his offer."

"No, Ino. I'm over it. He's over it too. Okay?" Sakura swallowed, trying to get the sudden rush of emotion under control. "Just leave it as it is. Besides, I'm going to my uncle's tomorrow."

"Oh? Lady Tsunade gave you permission?" Ino asked, suddenly forgetting about the matter they both were arguing about.

"Yeah, she kind of commanded me so; I guess I have no choice."

"Okay, but don't screw this up, Sakura!" Ino smiled. "He might just be the one you've been looking for."

"I told you Ino, I can't do this…" She couldn't trust anyone. After what had happened to her, she had sworn not to get involved in a relationship. She was afraid of her own heart betraying her, but of course she didn't say it out loud. She just let out a sigh."And I'm not grieving over my ex either. I just don't want to start another relationship, hell I don't want to start any serious relationship period! "

"Okay, okay I get it. Don't turn it into a serious one then, at least play the field. Have fun with it, be happy about it and then let it go, just don't make any commitments."

W _as that really a cure for a cracked heart and shattered trust?_

"I don't think that's a good idea." Sakura said, barely audible, but Ino seemed to have heard her.

"C'mon! Do this, Sakura." She squeezed Sakura's shoulders before walking to the door. "Or else you may regret it later." She said as she opened the door and left the room.

Sakura stared at the door for a few seconds and returned her gaze to the phone in her hand. She read the text once again. A lonely smile crawling on her lips, her fingers started to move on the keyboard.

**'Thank you for your kindness. I'm not upset with you, but I'll accept your offer, however, I'm afraid I'm quite busy this week, maybe next week if that's okay with you? –Haruno'**

* * *

Sasuke entered his office, reading the file in his hand, before he sat behind his desk.

"I think I'm going to accept Orochimaru's offer and become his permanent lawyer. He seems to be a thoughtful client." Closing the file and throwing it on the desk, Sasuke rubbed his eyes before glancing up at his blond friend, sitting across the table, staring suspiciously at the ground and smiling.

He frowned. "What are you snickering about, dobe?"

"Huh?" Dumbfounded, Naruto glanced up at Sasuke who dismissed him right away. After all Naruto's behaviour wasn't something new to Sasuke.

He sighed. "I don't know why I even bother." Checking the desk that was overloaded with papers and files, Sasuke once again looked at Naruto. "Where's my phone?"

"Here." Naruto grinned widely as he brought Sasuke's phone up and placed it on the table.

Sasuke eyed the phone doubtfully, like it was some kind of nuclear weapon. "Why my phone was in your hand?" Narrowing his eyes, he turned to Naruto.

"Huh?" Naruto asked again, still grinning. "Oh, because I've found it."

Sasuke picked up the phone with his thumb and index finger. "It wasn't lost." From the corner of his eye, he could still see Naruto muttering things under his breath and smiling manically. "Why are you even grinning like a crazy person? Wait a minute, you look suspicious."

Naruto jumped, lifting up his hands in defence. "Nani? I'm not looking suspicious!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes again, leaning on the desk to look closely at his troublemaking friend. "What have you done, Naruto?"

"What?" Naruto looked away immediately. "Nothing. Jeez."

"You'd better not have." Sasuke said coldly as he looked through his phone. His eyes slightly widened at the sight of a text appearing on the screen. He looked up so fast at Naruto that he felt his neck constricting. "What is this?"

"What?"

"What is this text?" Sasuke tapped on the screen, frowning. "Did YOU text someone?" He asked dangerously. "How did you even find out my password?"

Naruto smiled brightly as he scratched the back of his head. "Uh man, that's pretty obvious, everyone knows you're obsessed with the word '*Chikara', I don't know where that obsession had come from though."

"Why did you touch my personal stuff, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, slightly annoyed. "I thought we'd gotten over it since school!"

"That was extremely different Sasuke," Holding up a finger, Naruto said thoughtfully. "Back then you told me not to touch your weird *paper fan."

Sasuke ignored Naruto's nonsense, still glaring at the phone in his hand. He just had enough of Naruto's bullshit.

"Shut up and answer me, just who did you text?"

"I can't do both." Naruto answered wryly.

"Who. Was. It?" Sasuke gritted.

Letting out a sigh, Naruto slouched in his chair and gestured to Sasuke's phone" Just look at the screen, dattebayo."

Sasuke glared at him for a moment, before turning his attention to the phone. He tapped the screen to open up the text message.

"It says thank you for your kindness-" he trailed off and as he read through the text, his brows seemed to be knitted until he reached the last word.

His eyes widened.

_Haruno? As in Haruno the pink-haired girl he saw at the party._

His heartbeat started to race as he read through the text again and the text that was sent by Naruto, as well. He felt his body getting warm, be it excitement or anger. He didn't want to show any emotion other than anger to Naruto right now. _How dare he shove his nose in his personal life?_

"Naruto, what the fuck have you done?" He blurted out. "How did you get this number anyway?"

"Ah, does it matter?"

Sasuke frowned. Naruto should know better than to answer his question with a question! He was the only one who could make everybody flustered and yet stay so calm, now that the tables had turned he felt really angry.

"Why did you text her, using my phone?"

Naruto stood up, putting the palm of his hand on the desk and leaning close to Sasuke, gazing into his eyes. "Because it should've been you who text her, you should be thankful!" Sasuke raised a brow at him, obviously happy with the fact that Naruto wasn't so calm after all. "Now who's the idiot? I saw the way your expression changed when she walked away and how you followed her. I'm not an idiot, dattebayo; you never follow a girl when she leaves. She was different from the others."

Sasuke closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath.

He didn't leave the bar because he wanted to follow that girl; he just wanted to take a walk. _But he didn't need to explain himself to someone like Naruto, did he?_

He shrugged. "Why would I care about her?" He, too, put the palm of his hands on the desk, challenging Naruto. "I warn you, this is the last time you mess with me or my stuff!" He hissed threateningly.

"Okay…" Naruto leaned back. "At least answer her."

Sasuke smirked. _No one could tell him what to do._

"Yeah I will, I will call her right now and I will tell her that my stupid friend was the one who actually texted her."

"No, no, no" Naruto almost jumped on the desk, trying to pull the phone out of Sasuke's grip."Why would you do that, teme? That's cruel, you'll break her heart!"

Sasuke tilted his head. "Should I care?"

"C'mon Sasuke, I know you like her. She was so hot and she seemed to be quite a good girl too"

An aching pain ran through Sasuke's heart. He looked away immediately and let the cold attitude colour his voice as he spoke.

"If you think so, why didn't you text her with your own phone, dobe?"

"Uh, I would, but you see… I just recently talked to Neji's cousin and she seems to be a nice girl and man, she's just too hot and she's got these huge-"

"Just shut your mouth, will ya?" Sasuke interrupted Naruto in time. "And get the hell out of here; I'm not interested in listening to your babbling. If anything it just makes me want to punch you in the face even more."

Standing up from his position, Naruto growled. "What? If there's anyone here who's got the right to punch the other, it's me, teme."

Sasuke covered his face with his hand and raised the other, pointing at the exit.

"Naruto leave. right. NOW!"

But, no, Naruto never gave up.

"You know what? The only reason I'm not kicking your ass right now, is because we're in your office and there's a bunch of clients out there waiting."

"You're being sensible, I see. That's almost… laughable." Sasuke scoffed.

"Argh!" Naruto scowled before circling the desk and rushing towards Sasuke probably to punch him in the jaw. Sasuke only stood there looking indifferently at him without moving a muscle, when suddenly annoying music started echoing in the room.

Both men stared at each other in confusion when Naruto took out his phone that was ringing and vibrating in his pocket.

"Yes? Who is this?" He almost yelled as Sasuke inched himself away from him. "Oh, Hinata-chan is that you, yeah Ichiraku's ramen?" Sasuke rolled his eyes at how the blond's eyes shined at the mention of ramen. "Okay, I'll come right away. Sure. See ya." He hung up the phone and glared at Sasuke, narrowing his eyes. "I got to go now, but don't forget-" He turned and rushed to the door. "We're not finished."

"Hn." was Sasuke's only response.

When Naruto left, Sasuke looked at his own phone once again, reading through the text for the third time. His fingers started to move on the screen, unknowingly, dialling up her number. He put the phone to his ear, waiting for a connection, but at the last second before it even rang, he hung up.

Looking at the screen once again, a small smile appeared on his face as he tapped the keyboard on the screen to reply to the text.

* * *

Sakura finally reached the countryside she hadn't seen for a while. The bus bumped along gravel roads through the poor village, which was planted with sugarcane and smelled of mud. She got off at the bus stop just outside her village.

As the sun set behind the hill, the reddish brown rays from the glowing sky poured down onto the grassy hills that looked like they were on fire. From here it only took her fifteen minutes to get to her family cabin, where her uncle was living now.

Breathing in the fresh air, she smiled and started heading down the narrow road that was surrounded by tall oaks. She finally felt relief to see the familiar house across the river.

At last, she reached the wooden floor entranceway of the house. The light coming from the kerosene lamp inside was veiled in thick, sooty smoke from the oven and the silent house seemed deserted.

"Uncle, are you home?"

Sakura waited, but there was no answer. White steam drifted from potatoes boiling in a pot. She put down her bag and grabbed a pair of sandals and headed outside to the courtyard. All at once she caught a glimpse of something black moving fast in the shadows.

"Yo!"

Sakura felt like she had a heart attack when she saw a familiar figure sitting on the window sill. _How could she forget her uncle's odd behaviour this easily?_ She walked to the large window to see a middle-aged man with silver hair and a mask covering almost most of his face, whom she assumed was smiling at her.

She sighed. "Hello, uncle Kakashi."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chikara Meaning Power : According to Naruto Wikipedia, Chikara is Sasuke's favorite word. That explains why he had chosen 'Chikara' as a password. lol
> 
> Paper fan: Remember the white and red Uchiha symbol that looks like a paper fan. So that's ... actually that.
> 
> Woah YES! I'm finally finished! boy, this was probably the longest chapter in the history of all chapters that I have ever published for Naruto fanfictions! Wow! It took me almost 8 hours straight to write it down and then type it, cause if I stopped midway, I'd probably forget all the genius ideas I had for this chapter.
> 
> Okay so which part did you like the most?
> 
> For me the best part was Sasuke and Naruto's verbally sparring lol! And then the last part... Honestly it came as a surprise to me! I didn't know how this chapter would end, although I had this vague idea of bringing Kakashi into the story! I just love him! He's amazing. And bringing him as Sakura's uncle, just adds more to his awesomeness. lol


	5. Chapter 5

"There it is Sasuke-kun, my whole team." Orochimaru said excitedly as he walked to the head of the room and gestured to the executive members of his company, who were seated in their customary places around the massive table.

Sasuke gave a quick nod before standing next to the man. Orochimaru was an odd person with a strange attitude. Sasuke couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something about the man seemed off - be it his long black hair that suited his tuxedo, his unusual eye colour or how his face seemed like a plaster - Still though, he had signed a contract with the man after winning his case, a couple of weeks ago and now here he was, standing by his side as not only his lawyer, but his company's as well.

Once again, Sasuke glanced at the said members. They all seemed too young, probably around his age, give or take a few years. Most of them were marquee faces that also had a lot of influences on the media and newspapers although Sasuke had never personally met them before.

He already knew the girl with the dark-pink hair. She was one of the best musicians in the world wo was also responsible for the media department. The other one, was a man named Kidomaru, he was responsible for energy law department. Jirobo, the largest, imposing man in the room with orange hair and a suspicious glare directed at the other members was the head of mergers and acquisitions. Sakon, who was sitting next to Jirobo, was a short and thin guy, who was introduced as a psychiatric doctor, who also looked like a complete psycho, and was in charge of intellectual properties.

And the last one and apparently the closest person in the room to Orochimaru was the guy with gray hair and glasses.

Kabuto Yakushi.

The one in charge of managing the director department and also Orochimaru's personal assistant.

"And this," Orochimaru uttered loudly as he waved around, "Is our home office, we have many international arrangements. So even I spend a great deal of my time in air. In addition to our corporate clients, we're representing twenty countries." He then spread his arms, as a mischievous grin crawled on his face. "Welcome to Otogakure Company."

Sasuke gave a small smile before looking carefully around the room. The conference room was located on the hundredth floor and was surrounded with full-length windows, giving a good view of the city beneath their feet. The building was located in the middle of the city still though it was a majestic misfit.

Sasuke looked back at Orochimaru when he felt a hand patting his back as he started to speak again. "We'd like you to work as the pro hack vice also I want you on Arashi's case."

For a moment the conference room filled with tension, as everybody gaped in horror at Orochimaru. Sasuke who obviously didn't know what was wrong blinked in confusion at the others when the gray-haired man slightly rose from his chair.

"You may want to reconsider, Orochimaru-sama?" He said respectfully before pushing his glasses up his nose. "How can we trust a young, inexperienced lawyer on this? This is the case of one of our trustful business clients." He exclaimed to others who nodded in agreement.

Orochimaru only chuckled in response, putting his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "You, Kabuto, out of all people should know that I've shaken hands with every famous defence attorney in this town, but now I'd take Sasuke-kun and I won't look back." He threw a smile at Sasuke. "I trust in his skills."

"Excuse me, sir, but don't you think that's a bit too much." Kabuto insisted.

Sasuke frowned, looking at the worried expression on Kabuto's face. _This might be a difficult case if this guy seemed so cautious about it._ For once, Sasuke felt doubt washed over him.

"I'll gladly take the case if I know what it is about or what the chances are of winning." He uttered cockily.

Orochimaru glanced over at him for a moment, before smirking and squeezing his shoulder. "You will take it Sasuke-kun and I'm sure you'll win it either way."

"But the future of our company depends on this case, Orochimaru-sama." This time Kabuto suddenly tensed and fully stood in front of Orochimaru.

Orochimaru paused, looking intimidating at the man who immediately went back to his seat. He clapped his hands then and smiled widely. "We've got the best damn lawyer in the city. I don't see what makes you so worried Kabuto-kun."

This time nobody seemed to make a move or say something, as they all nodded sheepishly. Sasuke watched them suspiciously, he knew that something was wrong about this whole case or else Orochimaru wasn't the man that he made people believe he was.

Just then a hissing voice sent a cold shiver down Sasuke's spine. "What do you say, Sasuke-kun?"

* * *

Sakura knelt on the ground, picking up the pieces of trash that were scattered almost everywhere. Wearing a tense expression she put the torn pieces of food boxes, empty cans and other items into a bamboo basket and took them out.

"Ugh, this place's a mess. Have you ever considered hiring a maid or something?" She groaned under her breath, before standing up and stretching her back. Looking back at the silver-haired man with the mask, who was lying lazily on a hammock and reading a book, she frowned.

"Nope." The man answered nonchalantly.

"Of course not, it looks like no one has lived here for years!" Stomping back to the living room, Sakura stumbled on a sack of small books. She scowled and bent to pick one up.

"Icha Icha paradise?" She marvelled. "Ew gross, I can't believe you're still reading these, uncle!"

Finally Kakashi peeked over his book, putting his hand over his heart dramatically. "That hurts Sakura; that really hurts." Kakashi then picked up the book nimbly and flipped it open. "It's called literature."

Sakura glanced over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow. "You mean porn?"

"Isn't it a part of literature?" He sat straight, smirking. "Do you deny this fact that even a famous play is worthless without sexual contents?" Kakashi explained before he lied back down again with his hands behind his head. "It's completely unattractive."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Why am I even talking to you? It gives me headaches." She said before disappearing in the kitchen.

"So, what brought you here kiddo?" Sakura heard Kakashi call. "I thought this place brings back unwanted memories."

He was right, with all the good memories and everything, this place still contained some of the dark ones as well. After her mom was diagnosed with cancer everything changed. Sakura really didn't want to think about how her death caused her dad to leave Japan forever, but that was the truth, ignoring the past didn't mean that it didn't exist. It was always there haunting her and her future. She couldn't just deny it.

"It does actually," She finally answered half-heartedly filling the tiny cups with harbour tea as she walked back to the living room, to see her uncle now sat on a cushion. "But I was kinda…forced by Lady Tsunade. Which brings me to this question; how does she know you again?"

"It's something from the past." Kakashi dismissed her right away.

"Were you two dating?"

"What?!" He slightly jumped from his position, laughing. "She's my grandma's age!"

"Still pretty, though." She pointed.

"Yup, can't argue with that one." Kakashi grinned and looked over at the steam rising from the tea cups, he muttered knowingly. "Pretty face, pretty big boobs."

Sakura laughed softly. "Okay, okay. I shouldn't have brought that up." She picked up the cup and gave it to her uncle. Not looking away from him.

There were times that she wondered; if this man was truly her uncle or not. She didn't know much about him. He never gave a direct answer to her questions and he never talked about his past or even the mask he wore all the time.

She watched the man as he lifted the cup to his lips. For one second everything tensed. Then, just before he was about to take a sip, he paused and lowered the cup to her disappointment.

"What?" He asked sounding confused. "Is there something on my face?"

"Yeah," Sakura answered dryly, "Your mask."

"Oh," Kakashi said as he lifted the cup to his lips again, reaching his mask and as Sakura started to tense again, he let go and put the cup back down.

"Gosh! Uncle, are you going to drink that or not?"

"Nah, it's too hot." He said amusingly. "What?" He raised a brow when he caught Sakura glaring at him suspiciously.

"I was just wondering what the reason is for you wear a mask all the time, I mean jeez I even don't remember what you look like."

"That's because you never actually saw my face, kid." He pointed quickly, looking at Sakura's red frustrated face.

"For Kami's sake, I understand that you once were a government undercover agent, but that doesn't mean you should wear the mask even in your home, c'mon uncle Kakashi, what's the reason behind it?"

"Reasons."

"Okay, what reasons?"

"Things."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him, who was obviously enjoying this game of mind with her. She let out a sigh invisibly and lifted her hands up. "Whatever, I give up!"

She then lifted her cup and took small sips.

"Enough about me, tell me who is he this time?" Sakura almost choke on her drink at the sudden question.

"What?" She stuttered. "W-who is who?"

"The one you're thinking about." Kakashi shrugged.

"Wow, are you a mind reader or something now?" She asked wryly. "I…there's no one." She steeled her eyes right away.

"You seriously want me to think that the reason you look at your phone every five seconds is because you're looking at a message that blond haired friend of yours has sent you?" He suggested. "I know you kid, I raised you!"

"Damn it, how can you know so much about me whereas I know so little about you, Uncle, this isn't fair at all!" She pouted.

"Life is never fair kid."

"I suppose that's true…" She put the cup down, still not able to look at him. "And yeah there is…I mean there is not…" She took deep breath. "It's just a guy that I met at a party who texted me a couple of days ago and… I don't know… I don't know him much; I mean I don't know him at all. "

"There's something special about him." Kakashi stated like it was a fact.

"What?" Sakura's eyes widened. "Now you're interested in my love life?"

"Nope, not interested." Kakashi waved it off before picking up his book. "But I'll tell you what's so special about him."

"What?" Sakura asked bluntly.

"Whoever he is, he makes you smile."

A minute of silence filled the room and Sakura felt her cheeks warming up as she stood up quickly and took one last glance at her carefree uncle, who was flipping through the pages like nothing had happened, which she was glad about at the moment. She surely didn't want Kakashi to see her cherry-red face, now.

* * *

"So…so much work."

Naruto grumbled, slouching back in his chair with his hands behind his head. He stretched before leaning back on the desk again, looking drowsily at the papers and various files. He was currently in Sasuke's office and had been working late all evening to get everything done in his friend's behalf.

His eyes landed on the clock. It was 2:30. He let out a lengthy yawn and put his head on the desk, closing his eyes for a minute. To store a little energy would be helpful at this hour. Everything seemed peaceful in the building as the clock's ticking sound along with the faint noises in the streets slowly faded in his ears and sleep took control over his mind-

"Uzumaki!"

With someone poking him in the head and the raspy voice echoing in the room, Naruto sat bolt upright, looking around in the dim light of the desk light.

A glimpse of red caught his eyes as he jumped on his feet, now completely awake; he creased his brow at the redheaded man standing right in front of him. "Jeez Gaara, do you always have to be this quiet? You freaked me out man."

Gaara looked around for a second, completely unfazed by the blond's loudness. "Is Uchiha here?" he asked blankly..

"Nah, he had a meeting with one of his clients." Naruto answered, rubbing his eyes and sitting once again on the chair. "What is it? If you want me to deliver a message or something just shoot."

"No, I want to talk to you."

"Okay," Naruto drawled. "What is it?"

"I was at the police station earlier-" He said before Naruto cut him off.

"Let me guess, another homicide case? I mean…man, what is it between you and sociopath murderers?" He asked rhetorically.

Gaara glared at Naruto momentary. "Will you let me finish or do you just want to keep talking?"

Naruto held back, clearing his throat, he said. "Yeah sorry, go on."

"They had arrested a man," He threw a file on the desk, fixing his gaze on the blonde. "This is his file; you may want to check it out."

Naruto looked at the sack of papers doubtfully as he picked it up. Frowning, he asked. "Who is he?"

"Itachi Uchiha."

The blond gaped in silence. "What?" Opening up the file, his eyes stumbled on a familiar face, an older image of Sasuke, himself. "He is…He's Sasuke's brother."

"True." Gaara trailed off. "He didn't have a lawyer so I was sent into the interrogation room to talk to him, but he refused to talk."

"Then I think I should call Sasuke, maybe he wants to talk to his broth-"

"No."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, _just what was going on?_ "Then what?"

"He wants to see you, Naruto."

* * *

Sasuke stood in the sitting room of his hotel suite by the window, staring out at the tiny snowflakes falling down from the dark sky, thinking about his life; feeling out of place in it. _Lost_. He flipped out his phone, looking at its screen and thinking of a certain source of comfort in his life. Just a couple of weeks ago, she showed up and despite him not even knowing her, he felt relaxed just by looking at her name on the phone's screen and then an unpleasant thought struck him.

 _What if she wasn't the one answering the text, what if like Naruto, she also had a nosy friend who had answered in her place?_ His eyebrows knitted at the thought. He had to do it on his own. He had to have gotten her number and called her sooner before Naruto had messaged her. The worst part was that, it all made him agitated and honestly he didn't know why.

Touching the screen, languidly he dialled Sakura's number, putting the phone to his ear when it started connecting. He rubbed his hand over his face, tapping his foot on the ground. _Why was he nervous? It wasn't like the first time that he had called a woman? So what did he feel so anxious about?_

_Beep…Beep…Beep…_

Maybe she wasn't going to pick up, maybe it was best to hang up and leave it as it was. Slowly Sasuke brought down the phone, looking at the screen, his thump hovered above the red button-

"Hello?"

His heart stood for a second and it took him moments to realize he had forgotten to breathe.

"Hello?"

The voice was hers. The soft voice that was warm and flowed like a fine melody. Comforting and relaxing to hear. Like it held magical power, just listening to her voice, would turn him into a different person. Suddenly he wasn't blunt and uncaring towards things, suddenly his life seemed valuable and worth living.

"..."

He still hadn't responded yet. Thinking if he was being too awkward, he took a deep breath. "This is Uchiha."He paused, clearing his throat. "Sasuke Uchiha."

And then there was silence from the other side of the line. He didn't know what to make of it. She was either too surprised or too despised of him calling her. Incautiously he frowned, waiting for her answer.

"Hi, Mr Uchiha. "

_Pause. Again._

It was long enough for Sasuke to open his mouth to say something when she spoke again. "Can I…can I help you with something?"

He smirked although he knew she couldn't see that he was pleased by her stuttering. It showed that he had influence on her and it made him feel confident.

"Yes…no…" He punched himself inwardly. _Now here he thought that he was the one in control._ "I just called to…" He squeezed his eyes shut. _Why did he call, to hear her voice? Or to make sure that the number was really hers?_ None of these was a good excuse anyway. "To remind you that tomorrow is Monday, and you said you're free next week, which is considered this week and…" He paused. This was pathetic now he was only ranting and he had never ranted in his entire life before. "So I called to let you know of the exact time and date."

"Oh, to what?"

Sasuke raised his brow, _was he sounding too formal or was she too oblivious?_

"Our meeting, of course." _She wasn't one of his clients now, was she?_ He could've just said 'date'.

"You mean what you mentioned in the text message?"

"Yes." He answered coldly before another long pause happened.

Sasuke didn't know if the long empty pauses in their conversation was necessarily a good thing or not, for all he knew, it just drove him on the edge, even more.

"Thank you for offering but I…I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but I'm kinda really busy this week, sorry my schedule wasn't fixed, something came up and… I don't think I can make it."

In that moment, There were not enough words to describe how Sasuke felt. _Did she just reject him?_ He didn't know if he should be more pissed at her or himself to be so stupid to call her and ask her out when she obviously wasn't interested.

He clenched the phone in his hand, trembling unnoticeably.

"Hello? Mr Uchiha? Are you there?" Her voice echoed in his ear as he started to pace around the room.

"Yes." Came the cold façade.

"Again, I'm so sorry."

"No need to be sorry, I completely understand. Have a good night, Miss." He uttered quickly, not allowing her to breathe another word before he hang up and stared at the screen for a long moment. _Wondering why in the world, did he even care about the girl?_ Or about what she had said to him.

Again... there was no answer to his questions.

Now shaking uncontrollably, he threw the phone to the ground, breaking it into pieces.


	6. Chapter 6

_Present_

The combo of the ambulance's sound and the flashing lights was nightmarish. The visual component was that of multiple red lights through the semi opaque windows when the swinging doors of the ER entrance burst open, emitting a frenzied stampede of doctors and nurses. Sasuke squeezed himself between them, afraid to look away from the wounded kid. His heart was pounding and he could swear that he tasted iron in his mouth, still though he didn't want to leave the kid's side.

"Is he going to be okay?" He asked worriedly, following the stretcher down to the hospital's hallway when a nurse pushed him back.

"You should stay here, sir." Ordering firmly, the nurse closed the door to the operating room in his face. Sasuke stood there for a long moment; his eyes lingering on the white door, his mind reviewing the past although everything seemed to be blurry and vague.

For a few seconds Sasuke remained even more scared as he felt the warm liquid roll down his cheek. Gingerly he touched his forehead, lifting up two fingers in front of his face. _Blood._ Finally realizing the source of his painful dizziness, his mind stopped functioning and the world slowly blackened before his eyes as he lost his balance and fell unconscious.

* * *

_Earlier that day_

"It's a triple-homicide case and all the evidences are against Arashi. " With a huff, Sasuke threw the file on the desk. "It's a loser." He then added reluctantly.

It had been a week since he was introduced to Orochimaru's company and his so-called clients. Arashi was the most powerful amongst them. He was the head of the foreign business department and had a lot of influences in Otogakure Company and even Orochimaru himself. A little after going through his case, Sasuke realized what he had gotten himself into. The guy definitely had enough motives to kill his wife and the witnesses, his maid and his brother-in-law. Now Sasuke had broken one of the very first rules in his career that let him to be a successful lawyer so far, he hadn't listened to his gut and he had accepted the case blindly.

"That's why you're here my boy." Sasuke felt the older man patting his back as he chuckled darkly. Standing next to him, he looked over at the town below.

"He's got blood on his clothes and his fingerprints are all over on the murder weapon." Sasuke reasoned calmly, although he was frustrated. " There's also a second print in the blood. It is a partial of a hand on the wall next to the bodies." He said, turning to the dark-haired man, glaring irritably. "And he is lying to me."

There was a long pause after that as Sasuke allowed for his words to sink in. He knew when a defendant was lying to him, it meant that they had underestimated him and he didn't appreciate it even one bit. Then again, he could never defend someone who didn't want to reveal the truth even to his lawyer.

He heard Orochimaru let out a low chuckle. It wasn't necessarily annoying but, had an unpleasant feeling that made Sasuke uncomfortable. "You see, there are a lot of good attorneys down there, still I chose you and I chose you for a reason, Sasuke-kun." He said and Sasuke's brow furrowed. "So you can't just walk away from what I've offered you."

For a moment Sasuke was about to step back, feeling the weight of his gaze on him. This man, Orochimaru, was his client. He ought to know everything about him, he should've read him easily, see right through his eyes but strangely enough he couldn't. He didn't even know what the man's real intentions were.

Somehow Sasuke managed to stay unaffected by the man's poisonous glares, though. He had always been confident and cool in his clients' presence or even in a court. "I said it before that I only accept a case when I know it's a success. According to the circumstances, this one isn't." He uttered coolly, tucking one hand in his pocket. "I decline it."

Orochimaru's tone hardened as he clicked his tongue. "I'm afraid it's a little too late now. You see Sasuke-kun when I want to choose an attorney, I'm careful and when I chose you despite all the nagging at the back of my head, I put all my trust in you and your abilities. After all…" He snickered. "You're an Uchiha, right?"

The last word came out a little more bitterly than Orochimaru expected but, it was powerful enough to make Sasuke show a profound emotion.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Listen carefully son, I'm about to tell you a story," Orochimaru started, fixing his fierce gaze on the young man as a smirk ghosted across his features. "Twenty years ago, on October 28th a first degree homicide occurred in district 20th in Aoyama, Tokyo. One of the wealthiest household families has been slaughtered and butchered. The father, mother and all the servants, were torn into pieces. But the incident had only one survivor; their eight year old son."

Sasuke's body froze at Orochimaru's low voice. He knew this story. In fact he was very familiar with it and he had sworn long ago to never think or talk about it ever again. Looking at the man made him feel tense and the hair at the back of his neck stand up, he wanted the man to stop talking, right now.

"But…no…no I might be wrong." Orochimaru spoke. His insidious bright eyes were burning into the back of his skull. "There were actually two survivors, the family's two sons. The older son disappeared soon after the massacre and Saratubi Orphanage took custody of the younger one a couple of months later. "

Orochimaru fell silent before smirking deviously. "Tell me something Sasuke-kun, isn't this story familiar to you?"

Anger rushed into his veins. Sasuke didn't know how this man could have such an effect on him but, he hated it. He hated how smoothly yet sharply he sounded, still though, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"You looked into my records." Raising an eyebrow, Sasuke let his muscles relax a little.

"Sure I did." Orochimaru beamed excitedly."Why wouldn't I? I'd like to make you my personal assistant after all."

"I'm sure Yakushi wouldn't be that pleased to hear it."

"Don't worry about Kabuto-kun." Orochimaru shrugged, walking away from the window. "He's too loyal to me. I raised him as a child. He somehow sees me as his…father."

Sasuke's brow creased. "I don't see how my past records have anything to do with the case."

"Ah… I'm getting there." Orochimaru nodded knowingly." You see, your past records just raised my curiosity. So I looked deeper and I found that you were also taken into custody for two years when you were fifteen for a robbery. Why a robbery, I wonder? Weren't you a rich kid, Sasuke-kun? Or maybe that friend of yours encouraged you into this? What was his name again? Naruto Uzumaki. He was an orphan too if I'm correct and you consider him a good friend of yours, right? Although, I would recommend you to be more careful around those you call friends, it's a big bad world out there." He drawled. "You can't even trust your own eyes."

Sasuke let out a sigh in exasperation, _just where the hell is he getting at with this?_ "Are we negotiating or are you trying to sue me?"

"Impatient, are we?"

Breaking the façade, Sasuke found himself to be unable to hide his anger anymore. _This performance has gone on playing long enough._ "Tell me what you really want already. I don't have time for this bullshit!" He shouted.

"I want you on this case." To his surprise Orochimaru's smirk dropped as he deadpanned.

"I already said no."

Returning his glare, Orochimaru started walking towards him. "You want to know where your brother is, do you not, Itachi Uchiha… he is a fugitive, in charge of murder. It was never really revealed though, who the victims were. "

Sasuke felt a lump in his throat. _Why bring up Itachi?_ _Why bring up his past that he always tried to forget?_

Orochimaru's tone was lowered, sounding more intimidating than before. "I have eyes and ears everywhere. I'll provide you fame, fortune, money, power… everything you desire. As long as you do as I say." He stood only a few steps away from Sasuke. "Now are we settled?"

It seemed impossible to escape the man's gaze. Here Sasuke was standing in his office, the most powerful man probably in the whole country and what was he trying to do? Challenge him? He knew Orochimaru had the power to take away everything from him. Still… he didn't want to confess it out loud.

Slowly Sasuke picked up his suitcase and headed to the door, ready to leave the office when he called again. "Remember the trial is at the end of this week, I want you to meet with Arashi again by then. This case has to be a success and I'm sure you're capable of doing that. I'll see you at eight on Wednesday in my office. Arashi will be here as well, are we clear?"

Sasuke only glared in response, now he just needed to get some fresh air, or else he would do something he'll regretted later. Putting his hand on the doorknob to leave the office he was once again stopped by Orochimaru. "Oh, before you go, I want you to meet your assistant."

"My what?" Sasuke muttered inaudibly as the door to office was opened gingerly.

"Ah...There she is!" The only thing Sasuke could hear was Orochimaru's cheerful voice when his eyes stumbled on a small, beautiful young woman.

"Tora." The word seemed as surreal to him as he blinked twice. But no… it was real. She was real. _Tora Kamishiro,_ the girl with long dark purple locks, the charming smile carved on her face and dark black eyes which gave her an unearthly charisma. She was that angel that had fallen on the earth, long ago. The girl, Sasuke so desperately tried to forget and to forgive… yet she was here now, right in front of him.

"Hello darling." She said as her lips quirked in a slight smile at Sasuke's shocked expression.

"I suppose you two are acquaintances." Orochimaru laughed though Sasuke didn't pay him much attention. All he could see at the moment was Tora. And he couldn't help but ask himself _why had she shown up here and why now?_

Her eyes were locked with his as she talked. "More than that, Sasuke is…was my boyfriend."

"Well then, it's somewhat an ex-lovers reunion, huh?"

"I suppose." Tora said sweetly, still not tearing away from him. He hated looking so dumbfounded when she talked. He wasn't himself and it made him irritated.

"Why are you here? I thought you were under treatment?" Sasuke asked bitingly. It was true; according to Naruto not so long after Sasuke had broken up with her, she started taking therapy sessions.

Tora shrugged in response. "There was nothing wrong with me. You're well aware of that, if it wasn't because of that stupid friend of yours we would have never separated. "

 _How dare she say this now?_ Sasuke got fed up. He couldn't stand this ridiculousness anymore. Shouldering his way out, he exclaimed loudly enough for everybody to hear. "I'm out of here."

"Sasuke!" Tora ran and gripped his arm. "Orochimaru-sama told me your phone was broken, they had quite the difficulty to reach you these past few days." She looked over her shoulder at Orochimaru; smiling again she brought out a new cell phone device. "As your assistant, I bought you a new one."

Sasuke's glared hardened. "I don't need this."

"You do." Orochimaru sneered. "Please take it."

"We should be in touch." Tora winked tantalizingly but Sasuke looked away.

 _How could she act so calm and sweet_ Sasuke wondered. Now stiffening in agitation, without saying another word he grasped the phone, turned around swiftly and strode out to the elevator.

* * *

_Present_

"Fortunately, there's been no damage done to your brain. I stitched up your wound though." The luscious friendly voice echoed in his ears, as he struggled to open his eyes. For a scary moment, he thought the voice belonged to Tora as he shot his eyes open.

He was surrounded by white walls. It didn't take long when he remembered where he was. _Hospital. Why?_ _He had an accident_. As recognition dawned he looked up to see who the owner of the soft voice was.

"You passed out because of the sudden drop in your blood pressure."

His heart melted and his breath hitched when a glimpse of pink caught his eyes.

"Haruno?"

Sakura wrote something on her clipboard and smiled broadly. "Doctor Haruno." She corrected. "And I must say Mr. Uchiha it seems that you're not as tough as you seem to be."

It didn't matter that she had just teased him, it was impossible to ignore the overwhelming flood of emotions that were rushing through him at the moment. This woman had truly bewitched him.

Sakura looked at him; probably waiting for an answer, but it seemed that Sasuke wasn't willing to give one. She shrugged amusingly. "Don't worry you're not gonna die."

Sasuke rubbed his face with one hand, hopping what he felt wasn't too obvious. "That's what I'm worried about."

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing." He leaned against the pillow on the bed. "It seems that we've crossed paths again."

"Seems like it."

Sasuke closed his eyes. It sure was a hell of day. First, everything that had happened with Orochimaru and then Tora. He could at least be happy that he was still alive. Still... something had hit him hard on the head all of a sudden as his eyes widened with terror. He had completely forgotten about the accident. "How is that kid...? I vaguely…remember."

Sakura nodded. "You hit him with your car; apparently you had been distracted and didn't see the kid who ran in the street. You braked though, you still hit him."

"So…is he okay?"

"Lucky you and him...there weren't any vital damages but, his arm's broken."

"I'll pay for all his hospital bills," Sasuke sat on the edge of the bed, looking up at the clock on the wall. It was 9:30. _Damn he couldn't waste any more time_ , he had to work on Arashi's testimony. "I should go now."

"I'm afraid you can't. You should know better considering your career. You have to stay for the night. "

"Just my luck." Sasuke grumbled under his breath. "I'm a little thirsty though. Get me some raspberry tea, would you?"

Sakura's eyes went wide for a while. However, the rudeness didn't come as a joke to her. She walked towards his bed, crossing her arms. "Sorry, do I look like your personal servant or something?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow in question as Sakura continued. "I'll call the nurse to get you some coffee or water." She stood at the door to call for a nurse.

"No coffee," He interrupted her dully. "I'm allergic to caffeine."

Sasuke didn't want to sound rude, he was just tired and he didn't want to deal with all the other emotions that were caused by this woman in white. He couldn't care about someone who had rejected him not a few days ago still… he didn't know why he wanted her so bad. It seemed like no matter how many times she backed away, he wanted to get closer and closer. He knew he was always attracted to mysterious things and now she was a mystery to him that he so much desired to discover.

The day was hellish but somehow Sasuke found comfort talking to this woman, even if it meant throwing cold, blunt comments and making her frown. _She was prettier when she smiled though._ _What was he thinking?_ He should have been mad about this situation especially after that unpleasant conversation with that bastard, Orochimaru. He had to put all his efforts into this case. Yet he was here, fantasizing about some strange woman. _What was wrong with him?_ She made him confused.

Sasuke glanced at his new phone screen, _thirty freaking missed calls_. He didn't even want to know who they were from. He threw the phone on the bed and hung his head, clutching his hair. All he wanted now was quit. Quit his job, quit breathing and more importantly, thinking.

"I think you should be more careful with your health." Her voice sang through his ears. "You seem a little stressed and I can tell out of experience that the cause is more than this accident." _Was that a touch of concern in her tone?_

"My job is a stressful one." He answered coldly without looking at her.

"I understand, every job has its own difficulties but we're not machines, we need to rest and take a break sometimes. Say, why don't you see a therapist?"

 _You're kidding, right?_ He wanted to say. Instead he pursed his lips, looking into her eyes. "Have you?"

He saw her pause for a moment, considering his questions she finally answered. "Actually I have. After my divorce six months ago I used to go to therapy sessions."

 _Divorced?_ Now this puzzle was starting to make sense. Sasuke felt his entire body warm up in annoyance. That was why she had rejected him, _wasn't it?_

"And was it helpful?"

She paused again. Touching her finger, where a ring was supposed to have been, she looked up and threw a fake smile. "Yes it was. It helped me a lot."

 _Lie_. He thought, looking at her exhausted expression. "That's why you're working here twenty four hours a day, seven days a week to get away from all the problems you have in your life?"

Sakura's eyebrows formed a deep frown as Sasuke continued nonchalantly. "It's pretty obvious from your red rimmed eyes, you cry a lot and your lack of sleep is unquestionable. The way you walk with straight shoulders, it's just an act really. You're not as tough as you seem to be either. You work and work because you're afraid of letting your thoughts and emotions wander over your ex because, you still love him." He paused to see her reaction before smirking." Am I right, Doctor?"

"You're quite observant, Mr Uchiha." She said, a bittersweet smile crawling on her lips.

"I know when my clients are lying to me." Sasuke answered absentmindedly.

"I'm not your client!" Sakura's sudden snap was loud enough to draw Sasuke's attention. "And yes you're right. The therapy wasn't much of a help and I work all day, but it's not because of my ex. I had gotten over him the moment I found out he was cheating on me." Her voice trembled but she managed to calm herself. Taking a deep breath, she started for the door. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have other patients to check up on."

 _No, he didn't want her to leave_. He didn't say those things to upset her, did he? He was mad, yes, but he didn't mean to vent on her like that. For a moment, she seemed so close to him. Their situations... divorced, afraid to approach people-

"We're in the same boat then." Sakura stopped and turned around at his voice. Although it was blank, free of any emotion but his face showed otherwise. Sasuke wet his lips and stared into her teary eyes. He had never considered his words might have hurt others. He never really cared about how others felt but now…

"Therapy can't help me much either." He finally said wistfully. If she walked away now, he swore, he wouldn't follow her. Surely this girl, deserved so much better than him.

Silence seemed inevitable but at least it wasn't unpleasant. Sasuke took it as a good sign though. Maybe she was considering his words; maybe there was still a chance.

"Say Mr Uchiha, would you like to have some raspberry tea?" She said out of the blue.

"You said you don't have any here." He answered, confused.

"No not here but, I bet that little tea house across the street would serve some."

His eyes glowed in sudden understanding and his stomach fluttered in excitement.

"Tomorrow at six." She smiled briskly, breaking the earlier tension in the room. "I'd like to have some herbal tea there, would you like to join me?"

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow in suspicious. "Aren't you busy by then?"

"I can make some time." She assured.

"At six it is then." Sasuke smirked as she nodded but before she could turn away to leave the room he asked again. "Do you stay here for tonight?"

Sakura's lips curved into a smile."My shift is over, my colleague Doctor Ino Yamanaka will take over soon."

A sudden shiver ran into the man's spine, as a cold sweat formed on his forehead. "You certainly don't mean that obnoxious blond friend of yours?" Sakura giggled in response. Sasuke groaned. "I'd rather take some sleeping pills by the time she arrives then."

"Have a good night then." Closing the door behind her back, Sakura waved for the last time.

"Sure thing, Doctor."

Briefly after she left, a conclusion came to Sasuke. He sank into bed and touched the wound on his forehead, he winced. _It stung_. Smiling, he thought. _I look like an idiot._

* * *

Standing in front of a mirror in her apartment, Sakura checked her lip-gloss and adjusted her Shift dress for the last time as a glimpse of the scowling Ino behind her back caught her eyes. She winked at her and grabbed her bag starting to put her things in it.

Ino put her hands on hips. "Look at you, you're wearing red again. And where's this good smell coming from?" She glanced at Sakura doubtfully, arching her brow." Did you use my perfume, Sakura?"

Sakura rolled her eyes at her and disappeared into the bathroom, although she could still hear Ino's sulking. She was acting incredibly bratty all afternoon, too bad Sakura didn't have time to deal with her.

"I don't get it. Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She whined.

Sakura sighed again, standing in the bathroom's doorway. "Tell you what?"

"That you had a date, of course." Crossing her arms, she pointed to herself. "We're besties, you're supposed to tell your bestie if you've got a date or not and if he is the freaking Sasuke Uchiha."

Sakura gave Ino her best apologetic look, as she walked to her and slapped her shoulder. "Chill out, Ino, it's not a big deal."

Her sea-green eyes widened in shock."What? Of course it's a big deal!" She chided." He was at the hospital last night, and I didn't get the chance to even talk to him, he was asleep all night!"

"Sure he was." She laughed loudly much to Ino's disappointment.

"Don't tell me that you purposely drugged him for your own evil plans."

Sakura honestly didn't know how to put up with Ino's over functioning imagination anymore."Gosh Ino, stop! You're out of your mind!" She said, slipping on her wedge sandals.

"It's all because you didn't tell me. I shouldn't even talk to you right now; I don't know who to trust anymore. It's a sad cruel world and I'm left alone in it." She said dramatically.

Sakura raised her brow wondering if Ino should've become an excellent actress instead of a doctor. "Now who's the drama queen again?" She smirked. "Wasn't your new boyfriend supposed to take you to his art gallery this afternoon?"

"You mean Sai?"Collapsing on the couch, Ino started to play with her golden locks."Argh, he's so friggin' emotionally constipated. I don't even know how to deal with him."

Sakura checked her watch; she still had thirty more minutes to get to her supposed date."I thought you said he's a gentleman."

"Well I'm not saying that he isn't." Ino reasoned. "He's just… I don't know… He has no idea when to talk or what to say at times. He literally has zero social skills. If it weren't for his good looks, I would never have talked to him."

"You seriously need to expand your views on men, Ino. I don't think he's a bad guy after all, you're just being picky." She turned on her heels, hoping to keep her balance on her new shoes. "I'm leaving now; I'll tell you everything when I get back."

Ino's face lit up suddenly as she sat straight. "Promise?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Oi, make sure to cover your forehead with your hair, Sakura. Otherwise he may mistake it with a billboard." She said wryly as Sakura threw her a threatening glare.

"Shut up, pig.

* * *

Sakura took a deep breath before pushing against the glassy doors. The fading rays of the evening sun dancing across her hair were too weak to keep her warm from autumn's freezing winds. For a second she hesitated. Gripping her purse tightly she wondered if she really wanted to do this. It was nothing really, just a simple meeting, date; whatever he would call it but still, she didn't know why she felt her that blood had frozen. Maybe all she needed was a firm strong push to shove her fears away. What her ex had done to her? She was a girl who took the risks without thinking twice; she would never lose any chances to be different, to be happy about everything. She never questioned things before but now she knew it was her last chance. If she walked away, she would never be the same woman she was before.

She had to make her decision, right here and right now. _Going through the doors or…run away?_

She was only a distraction, Sasuke thought, checking his watch impatiently. She is nothing but a distraction from him, nothing more. He tried so desperately to convince himself but he was impatient, worried even. What if she doesn't show up? He cursed himself and closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, he felt an extraordinary cherry scent fill his nose and touch his soul. Serenity, he opened his eyes just to see a lady in a crimson red dress, standing right in front of him.

He swallowed, trying not to stare as it was impolite but it was impossible to look away from her.

"Sakura…" His voice was weak and it took him moments to realize how unprofessional he was sounding.

Sakura gave him a nervous smile. _How could he be so beautiful yet so handsome at the same time?_ Sakura wondered, taking a seat in front of him. "Sorry, if I'm late." Her voice was trembling and she wasn't sure if he could hear the sound of her pounding heart too.

"Hn, you're not." Sasuke said, getting his eyes off of her for a second, he called for the waiter.

"What would you like to have?"

Sasuke looked over at Sakura, who smiled at him sheepishly. "I'd like to have raspberry tea." She said.

Sasuke smirked at her knowingly, giving the menu back to the waiter casually he said. "I'd like to have cherry."

The waiter nodded and disappeared quickly as Sakura looked up at Sasuke with widened eyes.

"I thought you'd order raspberry." She pointed doubtfully.

Sasuke leaned back against his chair, his stirring eyes fixed on hers. "I like cherry better."

The rush of blood to Sakura's face made her cheeks feel like they were on fire. She cleared her throat, trying to form some kind of conversation to avoid her further embarrassment. "So what you said yesterday about us being in the same boat, what did you mean?"

The raven-haired man arched an eyebrow. He seriously didn't expect her to bring that up now. Then again, it wasn't a surprise, he had claimed it himself, yesterday. No wonder it had raised the lady doctor's curiosity.

He ran his hand through his hair and let out a long sigh. "I had a girlfriend, we broke up." That was all she needed to know. It was in the past and he didn't want to talk about it especially now that his ex had shown up after so long and she was going to be his personal assistant. That just doubled his problems.

"Why?" Sakura put her elbows on the table.

"She was a burden. I don't like annoying women who are nothing but a burden to me."

Sakura frowned and stared at the waiter who put the cups of tea in front of them. "I see." She nodded, noting how uncomfortable the man had gotten.

He lifted the cup, breathing in the flowery essence; he glanced over at the woman. "What about you? You're ex?"

"He was a jerk, we lived together for two years and I thought we were in love but he always kept his distance. It took me long enough to realize he had an affair. I felt so stupid." She said swiftly and took a quick sip from her tea.

"Do you still love him?"

He had asked this before, and he had got the answer he wanted to hear; now he only wanted her confirmation.

"Not anymore." She answered immediately, looking up from her cup, she asked. "You?"

Sasuke was taken back for a few seconds; he knew the answer was a 'no' still he was pondering over it. _Why?_ Tora's image appeared in his mind. How elegantly she was dressed, how amazingly she smelt. Her perfect body, her angelic face... she was the definition of a goddess, and to think that she was once too close to him-

Tora was the one who bailed him out of jail; encouraged him to go to law school. He didn't want to admit it but wherever he was now, it was all because of Tora but, those years were behind him now. She was just a ghost to him, dead, that wasn't supposed to be part of his life anymore.

Again here, Sakura… was real. She was different from Tora, there always had been a dark aura about the purple-haired woman… that didn't exist in her. His eyes followed the movement of her hand as she slid it down her slender neck, pushing through her long curly pink locks. Her smooth skin exposed, her bright face. She was beautiful and soft, like a fragile yet rare flower. Making Sasuke wonder how she had managed to stay so strong through all the problems.

She was the only one he desired the most now.

"No." He finally answered.

"No offense." Sakura chuckled. "I always thoughts lawyers were scary."

"Scary how?" Sasuke was amused by the turn of events.

"They're like gods and goddesses, mostly successful, wealthy and arrogant. Sometimes even like the perfect sculpture. But…" Sakura gazed at him with confidence. "They live on manipulation and lies."

He smirked. "Don't you doctors live off sick people?"

She looked at him, surprised. "That's entirely different. We help people."

"So do I."

Stiffening, Sakura glared at him for a moment then frowned. "By lying and manipulating people."

"There are always moral grounds, though. Tell me something, what if there were no injured or sick people out there? Would you still be able to keep your job? You doctors feed on injuries so you wish for people to get injured or sick to come to you. That's how you live, that's what you do."

Sakura laughed half-heartedly. "I don't wish for people to get sick or injured."

"But you don't wish for them to be immortal with self-healing abilities either."

"You're so good at twisting things, aren't you?" She pointed and he scoffed.

"No, it's all about the way you look at things. You consider yourself a good person; you're helping people why can't I say the same about myself?"

Sakura smirked, leaning closer challengingly. "Okay then, imagine you have a defendant who is undoubtedly guilty, say… a murderer for instance. Do you still defend him?"

He shrugged. "I choose not to answer that."

"Why not? I've heard that you've never lost a case before, does this mean that all your clients were innocent?"

Sasuke glared intensely. "No one is innocent."

"Like I said, liars."

This time Sasuke took the chance to corner her. "What if I tell you, getting people to believe a lie is always easier?" He gestured at her. "Don't you like the beautiful lie rather than an ugly truth?"

"I prefer the truth." Sakura didn't need to think twice. Her life had been shattered because of lies; she would always choose the truth.

"Truth breaks, it destroys and changes people. Truth is a monster." Sasuke emphasized. He knew better, how destructive truth could be.

"A lie is a lie. Beautiful or ugly, it's not true. You can't believe in something that is not real. You can't live with lies."

Suddenly wary, Sasuke stared at her for a moment. "So you prefer the truth even if it tears you apart?"

She narrowed her eyes in sternness."I'd rather break than to live happily stupid in lies."

Sasuke's eyes softened, he was right she was incredibly different from Tora. "It's a good thing to know about you then."

"What about you?"

His eyebrows rose. "I lie for a living."

Sakura nodded. "Yes, but do you live a lie?"

"No." He smirked as her face softened and she threw him a bright smile. Surprisingly for both of them the conversation, which seemed more like an argument, was rather delightful and they enjoyed each other's company in the meantime.

When Sasuke drove Sakura back to her place that evening, she wasn't wary or nervous anymore. It seemed like all her fears had been wiped away. She laughed breezily and started to get out of his car.

"This is your place, then?"

"Uh-huh." She said as a thrill of heat rushed through her to have him staring at her so closely. She wriggled her nose childishly. "I guess I got to go now. I had a good time."

"Hn." A satisfied smile formed on Sasuke's lip, like he knew the effect he was having on her. "Hope you won't get scared of lawyers anymore."

She tried to put a professional tone in her response. "Oddly enough, I didn't find you a liar or a manipulator, Mr Uchiha."

"Sasuke," He corrected. "It was odd for me too, you weren't annoying."

She faked a shocked expression. "Really?"

"I enjoyed it." Sasuke said coolly as Sakura got out, walking to her apartment; she looked over her shoulder before opening the door.

"So…see you later, maybe, Sasuke?" She suggested.

Sasuke stroked his chin and threw a mischievous smile. "Do you want to?"

The corner of her lips crinkled into a smile in answer as she disappeared into the building.

 _When was the last time he had felt this content in his life?_ Sasuke couldn't remember, but he took the pink-haired girl's bright smile, that took his breath away, as a 'yes'. In the end he always got what he wanted.


	7. Chapter 7

Looking at the clipboard in her hands, Sakura desperately tried to concentrate but somehow the task wasn't as easy as it seemed. She just couldn't keep her mind off of Sasuke Uchiha. Her thoughts reverted to him. The way he looked at her with those penetrating onyx eyes and how his presence made her heart race. She had long passed the question of what the hell am I doing? She knew she wanted this to happen.

Having an intimate relationship, where she could really open up and tell him how she was feeling would certainly stop all the doubts. Maybe her mind wouldn't constantly wander, if only they got closer, talk more and know each other better. For now though, Sakura just wanted to enjoy this joyful feeling and to keep smiling.

She remembered the last time she had been so close to someone. Even with her ex, they have never been really close, and each time Sakura thought about it, she hated to admit it out loud. They even stopped sleeping with each other at some point; long before she found out that he was cheating on her. It all made her infuriating but, she just had to let it all go. She had to start afresh and give in to the yearning inside that drove her to this mysterious lawyer.

The next morning after their first date, passed peacefully, no death and no serious injuries added more to Sakura's relief. She was surprisingly optimistic and full of energy therefore nothing in the world could change how she really felt at the moment.

At midday, she closed the door to her office, humming her favourite song under her breath she sat behind her desk, completely ignoring Ino's suspicious glares. Of course she had already told the blond girl all about her date, still though somehow Ino thought there was more to it than Sakura had claimed there to be.

"You look happy." Ino said disdainfully, leaning against her chair.

Sakura looked up from her clipboard, grinning widely. "Yes I am." She said, humming again.

The blond haired woman narrowed her eyes. "Is that Carly Rae Jepson you're humming?" She asked loud enough for Sakura to widen her eyes and look at her guiltily.

"I…" Sakura opened her mouth, struggling to find an answer when suddenly the very familiar song echoed in the room.

_'Hey I just met you_

_And this is crazy_

_But here my number_

_So call me maybe'_

Ino arched an eyebrow at the vibrating cell phone on the desk then she looked at Sakura like she had just committed one of the seven deadliest sins. "What in the world…?" She started for the phone as Sakura jumped on the desk, grasped the phone and flipped it open.

"Hello?"

From the corner of her eye Sakura could see how her blond friend shook her head in disappointment, she responded easily with sticking out her tongue at her.

"Tell me, how do you like indie rock bands?"

Sakura was stunned at the familiar voice on the other end of the line. She rubbed her eyes for a second, bringing up the phone to her face and examining it, like it was some sort of an alien object, she put the phone next her ear again, looking away from Ino's questioning eyes. All in all wondering if it really was who she thought it was or maybe she was just imagining it.

"Uh…" She answered dumbfounded. "What?"

"How do you like indie rock bands?" The voice repeated and that was when she realized it wasn't a dream. The deep and scratchy sexy voice belonged to none other than the Sasuke Uchiha. Sakura blinked for a moment. Swallowing, she started to process the question he'd just asked. Surely she didn't want to sound stupid at all.

"I…uh…" It wasn't fair, she thought; he had caught her off guard. Clearing her throat she finally answered. "I actually like indie rock bands."

The voice on the other side hadn't paused even one second as he asked almost immediately. "Which band?"

"What?" Damn it. She thought, what do I say? What do I say? What do I- "Mumford 'n Sons." She answered without really giving it much thought.

There was a moment of pause then and Sakura could guess he might have been smirking. "I'll see you at Shinjuku Park at nine then." He said hanging up the phone, not giving her any chance to response.

Sakura brought down the phone, staring idiotically at the screen, wondering what it was all about. She mumbled. "I don't like how demanding he sounds."

"Who was it?" She almost jumped at Ino's scream, shrugging.

"Sasuke." Answering absentmindedly, she didn't realized how Ino froze for a moment at her response.

"Sasuke who?"

"Sasuke Uchiha, who else?"

"WHAT?" Ino shrieked, making Sakura wince momentary. "What happened to Mr. Uchiha?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Guess he doesn't like me calling him that."

"But you went out with him just once."

"So?" Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"So…" Ino drawled, shaking her head in disbelief. "Nothing. What did he say?"

Sakura looked at the screen once again, as if making sure the call was real, considering Ino's reaction to it, there was no doubt that it was.

"He…uh… I guess he invited me to a concert?" She answered doubtfully.

Ino put her hands on her hips, looking suggestively at her. "Do you even know what a concert is?"

Frowning in response, Sakura returned Ino's gesture. "Of course, I know Ino! I'm not living under a rock or something."

"Have you ever gone to a concert?" She asked sarcastically.

"Of course I've …" Sakura considered before adding. "Never gone to one, but I guess I'm gonna like it." She said, this time smiling satisfyingly.

Ino's brow creased. "Are you going to like it because he invited you to one or because you originally like going to concerts?"

"Because I originally like it." She answered sceptically. "Why do you even ask these questions?"

"Cause last year when I asked you to go to a concert with me, you rejected me!" Ino huffed, crossing her arms and looking away.

Sakura smirked. So that was what it was all about, huh? "Well, have you ever considered maybe I don't like Carly Rae Jepson?"

The blond woman's mouth opened in an O form. "But you were just humming it and your ringtone was her song, too" She pouted. "Whatever. What time?"

"What time what?"

"What time are you going?"

Sakura paused, feeling butterflies in her stomach for a moment. She smiled unknowingly. "He said at… nine. Why do you ask?"

"No reason." She answered dryly. "Which band anyway?" She asked, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

Sakura shrugged again. "I don't know, probably some indie rock band."

"That's so immature and unprofessional. No one asks a girl to some random indie rock concert."

Sakura's eyes glowed in excitement, looking at her friend, she smirked. "Are you jealous pig?"

Ino's baby blue eyes widened for a second. "W-What?" She stuttered. "I'm not jealous." Cracking a nervous smile, she picked up a pen and started writing something on her clipboard. "Besides… I have other plans with my lovely Sai. He said… he would… take me to a classy restaurant." Chewing her bottom lip, she looked over at the laughing Sakura. "You said Mumford 'n Sons?"

"Oh," Sakura's face lit up. "He asked me which band I like the most." She answered, narrowing her eyes at Ino who continued writing something hurriedly on the board. "What're you even writing?"

She stopped writing, smirking at her friend. "I'm just filling in my patient's chart. You see, forehead, unlike you I'm very busy, and I don't have time for these…" She pointed her pen at Sakura accusingly. "Childish acts. I passed high school thank you very much." Walking gracefully to the door, she announced for the last time. "I have patients that need me."

"Just admit you're jealous." Sakura called as Ino mimicked her all the way out of the room. "Wow, 'cause that wasn't…childish at all." Collapsing on her chair, Sakura started giggling at herself uncontrollably.

* * *

The soothing sound of the acoustic guitar had filled the night air of the Shinjuku Park. By now Sakura had guessed that nothing about this man was predictable. She thought maybe he'd like something more classical, never had she even known that he was into rock or metal music. She had to close her eyes against the harsh brightness of the lights as soon as she got out of the taxi.

She had worn a white shirt with jeans, something casual, yet it perfectly fit her slender body. Looking into the crowd, her eyes wandered around every corner for the familiar face. It was impossible to find him. The erupting sound of screams and applause filled her ears, even yelling his name wasn't useful and it'd never reach anywhere.

As the singer strummed the guitar's strings and hit the chords, soon the crowd fell silent. The beautiful and gentle sounds took over the atmosphere and all of a sudden the darkness fell upon the people in the park. Only a single spot on the stage, where the lead singer stood, could be seen and Sakura felt her heart skipping a bit, as everybody around her took out a candle or a lighter and started waving it in the air, humming with the sound that was playing as the singer started to sing quietly under his breath.

The song was 'Broad-Shouldered beast'. It was one of Sakura's favourite songs. That was why, for a moment, she was mesmerized and fascinated by the song, forgetting about everything, completely rapt with what she heard.

The music on the guitar was clean, breathtaking and magical. Without much effort, the notes waved in the air as they rushed in and around every person. The calm tempo lifted the spirit, elevated it and relaxed the soul; with it the crowd felt a tidal flow, feeling a pleasuring warmth seep in their bodies.

Sakura found herself dancing slowly with the song. The lyrics swam through her cortex like a wakeful dream. The notes relaxed her tensed muscles, enabling the song to call to her entire being. The music surely was medicine delivered to her in the most divine way.

_'When you feel the world_

_Wrapping around your neck_

_Don't succumb…'_

By the time the singer reached the chords, everybody was singing it out loud.

_'It's alright, take it out on me_

_And, it's alright, take it out on me'_

Her breath hitched and her heart stopped beating when she felt a silky whisper in her ear, singing the last chord. The warm breath on her neck left enormous goose bumps on her skin. As the song ended, the stage lit up again with a thousand lights and everybody started screaming and praising, she turned on her heels and her eyes locked with a pair of onyx eyes.

So close. Her mind stopped processing and her body froze in her spot. Just like the first time she saw him, he was incredibly close. The music resumed at the back of her mind as she tried to take a step back, only to realize a hand, snaking around her waist, kept her from doing so.

He wore a V neck short-sleeved black T-shirt and well-worn jeans. It was a kind of T-shirt that showcased the honed muscles of his biceps and forearms, jeans that hugged a lean waist and surprisingly muscular thighs. His face same as always, the kind that stopped her in her tracks for a few seconds. Sakura thought maybe he was used to it by now, the sudden pause in her natural expression whenever she looked at him and he always gave the same look. A nonchalant gaze followed by a smirk.

Of course, the blush on her cheeks as pink as her hair was a dead give-away. She didn't know if she liked how modest he was about the way he made her feel or not. If anything, it made her fall for him even more. But if there was one thing that Sakura longed to know, it had to be his mysterious lips. She wanted to know how they felt, or tasted. Judging by the sweet scent, radiating from him, she guessed they might be tasty.

"You're already here."

She shook her head, feeling a little content that she was drawn out of her fantasies before doing something unexpected, she took a step back still feeling his gaze on her.

"I…uh… I am."

He smirked and she felt herself blush again. She immediately cast down her head, avoiding his effect, even though this she knew he was well aware of what he was doing to her, she couldn't fight back.

The sudden cold touch on her arms, made her slightly jump. "C'mon they're starting another song." Sasuke said, dragging her along between the crowds.

This time the exhilarating music filled the stage and everybody started jumping and dancing. Soon the awkwardness washed away as Sakura started singing loudly with the music, screaming and giggling. In the corner of her eyes though, she saw Sasuke, only standing there with his hands in his pockets, head banging from time to time but not showing any other emotion.

They didn't talk much really; it was only when the band announced a break and everybody gathered around the bars to get some drinks. Sasuke opened up a beer for Sakura and they sat down on a grassy hill, a little further from the others.

"Thank you for this," Sakura took a sip from her beer, laughing. "I'm having a great time."

Sasuke smirked, looking at the peaceful starlight sky. "I only took your advice." Sakura raised her brow in question as Sasuke continued. "This…" He gestured to the crowds and the stage. "...is therapy." Then he pointed at himself and her and let out a smile. "We're only taking a therapy session."

Sakura chuckled breezily at his answer, holding her stomach, she started laughing heartily. "Oh… you have no idea how much I enjoyed this therapy." She took a breath between her laughs, quaffing her beer when Sasuke's hand tucked strands of her hair behind her ear.

"You know what else is considered therapy?" She gazed at his long fingers, brushing over her cheekbone, cupping her chin and making her look into his eyes. Leaning closer, she watched him closing his eyes. At his gesture, Sakura's eyes too fluttered closed automatically. The only thing she could hear at the moment was the whisper of his soft breath dancing on her own lips and the faint music not so far away. His hand, slowly moved on her forearm, touching her skin as the other one, steadied on the tip of her chin. "This." He whispered and she could perfectly sense his bitter yet sweet breath.

_Was it her imagination or did he really smelled like chocolate?_

"Hey guys look! The band is starting again!"

The high-pitched loud scream, was powerful enough to part the couple right away. With widened eyes, both of them jumped on their feet, looking in discomfort at the source of it.

The sight of the very golden-haired woman confirmed Sakura's doubt. She glanced up at Ino who had worn a tight little skirt and a revealing zip cup bra top. Ino clapped her hand over her mouth shockingly. "Oh, did I interrupt something?"

Sakura frowned, ready to punch her childhood friend in the stomach for the sudden intervening.

"What're you doing here, Ino?!" She growled.

"Since Ino was dying of curiosity to know what you'd do at a concert with your date, she said it'd be a good idea for us to tag along."

Sakura's eyebrows knitted. It wasn't Ino who answered; her eyes travelled to the young man, standing next to her. A stupid fake smile had been plastered on his face; Sakura's first impression of the man was, creepy. Even though he had the same height as Sasuke and was quite handsome. His smile was definitely creepy and weird.

"Sai!" Ino yelled at the man calling his name. That was when Sakura realized who he was. _Ino's new boyfriend, huh? Typical._

"What?" Not having a clue, Sai looked over at the angry blonde, shrugging. "Wasn't this the exact same thing you told me back at your place, gorgeous?"

"Just shut up!"

"She's right, the band's starting again." Sasuke stated calmly, ignoring Ino and her boyfriend, but Sakura could see how tense he had become. His voice was icy and emotionless. Standing up he took Sakura's wrist, firmly. "Let's go."

Sakura only nodded, looking back at her friend for the last time.

"You know Sai, sometimes you just need to zip it!"

"Why? I thought one should be honest with their best friends."

"This level of honesty is absolutely invalid!"

Well, that was embarrassing. Sakura couldn't help but to smirk and equally feel sorry for the poor Sai.

"Oh…I'll keep it in mind, then."

* * *

It was an hour past midnight, when Sasuke's car stopped in front of Sakura's apartment. The streets were already quiet and nothing but the loud, annoying screams of the happy Ino and the murmurings of the confused Sai could be heard. Sakura and Sasuke waited for them to get out the car and to head to the apartment.

Ino was clinging on Sai's neck and the man was poorly attempting to keep her and him in balance, avoiding a fall to the ground. Not that Ino's constant shouting in the poor guy's ear helped the situation any better.

"WE ARE THE FRIGGIN' CHAMPIONS! WHOOP!"

The moment they disappeared into the building Sasuke let out an exasperated sigh. "Your friend is loud." He said, putting a finger into his ear. "I don't like loudness."

Sakura smiled cheekily. "Sorry, she's a bit awkward when she's drunk."

"It's not your fault." He shrugged, thinking of his own loud friend. "I know another blonde like her."

She laughed light-heartedly at his comment, knowing who he was talking about. "Thank you again. Honestly I can't remember when the last time was that I had laughed this much."

As she opened the door to step out of the car, Sasuke's hand grabbed her wrist. She arched her brow and looked at him questioningly. "What?"

"I don't like getting interrupted either." He said sincerely, making Sakura wonder what he was talking about.

"Okay…?" She said encouragingly.

Sasuke didn't respond for a moment, not tearing away from her, he closed his eyes before saying. "I'm going to take you somewhere special on Tuesday night. You're free right?"

Sakura gave him a weak smile. "Yeah… I'm not on a night shift, if that's what you mean."

"Well then, I'll pick you up at eight." He said nonchalantly before adding. "Without getting interrupted this time." Finally the rough cadence gave away the emotion in him. In the street's dim lights that shone through the car's window, his face was half-hidden in shadows and light. She never saw much emotion on his face and it gave a strange sense of contentment to know this guy indeed had the ability to feel the same thing she had felt all along.

"Alright." She couldn't help but to smile at his stoic expression. "Goodnight, Sasuke." She said, stepping out of the car.

"Hn. See you later."


	8. Chapter 8

Thirty minutes had passed since Naruto was told to sit down at the door of the Interrogation Room and wait. Meanwhile, he couldn't take his eyes off of Itachi's picture in his file, wondering why the man wanted to talk to him; he had never met him in his life before. All he knew about Itachi was what he had heard from Sasuke and that meant, not much at all, it seemed that the man had always been Sasuke's main source of discomfort.

Naruto scowled and flipped the pages, looking at the crime scene images, he felt a little dizzy. He had never seen something like this before; it was completely out of his league. Not that he was being sensational or anything, he had just never witnessed this much violence in his life before.

The images were old, mostly photocopies but they were perfectly detailed. The bodies lay like mannequins, the oesophagus and arteries sticking out like so much corrugated rubber tubing and there was blood all over the place, adding more to the disgusting scene.

Although the bodies' faces were unidentified, Naruto already knew who they were, Uchiha household incident twenty years ago. Naruto swallowed a knot in his throat. Sasuke had never talked about it with him, to be honest Naruto too had never really asked. But with the little knowledge he already had, it seemed like it was right after the incident that Itachi completely disappeared.

Later he was identified as the main suspect, as the partial fingerprints on the murder weapon matched with his. Since then, Itachi Uchiha became a fugitive and so his case remained open, pending the discovery of new evidences.

Naruto ran a hand through his hair, his eyes darting over the police report that was recorded earlier.

'On February 13, 2016, at approximately 17:30, an unidentified male entered district eleven police department. As the security camera recorded the incident, the man pointed a handgun to a police officer in an attempt to kill him; he shot him in the knee but was immediately disarmed and took into custody.'

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise, it was no doubt Itachi himself, who had managed to stay off the police's radar all these years. He wanted to get arrested but with what purpose? The blonde didn't seem to find any answer for that.

With the door sliding open, Naruto didn't hesitate anymore. He stepped over the threshold into the room.

The windowless room was small square-shaped, odourless and gloomy. With a small table and two chairs, it also had a two-way mirror that would allow someone to watch an interview from another room without their knowledge. In the opposite wall was a replica of the door he'd just come through.

Naruto sat on one of the chairs, looking sternly at the opposite door as it opened slightly, finally revealing a hand-cuffed man. He frowned, looking at the cold look reflected on the man's face. The man's jet-black hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and the little wrinkles around his almond shaped onyx eyes indicated that he was at least ten years older than Sasuke, still though, they looked extremely alike.

Glaring at the suspect, Naruto watched him pulling the chair back and sitting across the table calmly, looking into Naruto's eyes. Soon the officer, who had been standing next to the door, left the room, giving them sometime to talk but it seemed like neither were willing to start anyway.

Naruto studied the man's face. He was said to have no sense of humanity, his heart made of stone, with the way he had brutally killed his own family. His eyes were similar to a statue, like they were an eternal pit of ink filled with no emotion. Surely he didn't seem like one of those psychopaths who killed for sheer excitement but still, Naruto's sense of justice wanted to unveil the truth, he wanted this man to face his crimes and to get punished for that.

"You despise me." Itachi was the one who broke the silence, his voice cold and dry. His gaze fixed on Naruto as the blond man trembled in anger.

Naruto rose from his chair and slammed the desk, growling. "You bastard, do you know the ordeal you put Sasuke through?"

The drowsy onyx eyes only looked at the blond man in response as Naruto leaned closer, raising his fist, ready to punch the man in the jaw. He recalled how Sasuke wasn't exactly the sanest kid back in the orphanage. During the nights he would always wake up from the nightmares, screaming and kicking. He even had hurt himself numerous times, simply wanting to die. Naruto remembered the last time he actually saved Sasuke from falling down the rooftop. And to think that a little kid had to become this mentally unstable because of what this man had done-

All of these truly pissed Naruto off. "He went through hell because of you!"

"That's irrelevant." Itachi responded dully, leaning against his chair.

Irrelevant? Naruto thought, feeling his blood boiling inside his veins. Now he really wanted to hurt him just to test if he'll still manage to stay so calm and unfazed. And honestly he didn't give a damn if there were actually people out here, watching his every single move.

"We're not here to talk about my brother." Itachi uttered, making Naruto more frustrated.

"You son of a-" He gritted before getting interrupted by the older man.

"I'm sure you've already read my file." Itachi gestured to the open file on the table, pointing at the old photocopies. "They are probably about the incident twenty years ago." His voice was deep as he looked away from the pages, like he was attempting to avoid remembering things but he had failed miserably.

Naruto scowled, sensing something in the man's voice changed, for a split second he didn't look like a mass murderer; instead he looked hurt, broken and even sad.

"It was you who killed them, wasn't it? Your parents?" This question came from somewhere deep down in Naruto's subconscious. Somehow he was eager to find out the truth. He wanted to see, despite all the evidence against this man what his answer was to this question. He didn't seem to be stupid at all then what was he thinking when he gave himself up to the police.

"What do you think?" Itachi asked.

God, Naruto hated riddles. It made him irritated when all he really wanted was a simple, straight-forward answer. "You fucking criminal, you shot a police officer!"

Itachi looked at him momentary, before closing his eyes. "Self-defence."

"Cut the bullshit, man!" Naruto huffed, getting up from his chair; he loosened the knot on his tie, as he leaned against a wall. "Just tell me why you wanted to see me?"

"I want you to take my case." Itachi answered casually, looking at the blond man from the corner of his eyes.

Naruto's eyes widened, in shock. "Are you kidding me?" He rounded the table, sitting across Itachi again. "Why me?"

"I don't trust anybody else." The raven-haired man answered with a stern look on his face.

Naruto startled by how confident he sounded. In the past few minutes he seemed to be really calm, only now, Naruto could hear how dangerously his tone had changed. He crossed his arms, saying. "I'd never do such a thing."

"I can afford all the money you'd want as your payment."

"To hell with your money!" It irked him even more hearing that. "Just what in the hell makes you think that I'd defend a murderer who has killed my friend's parents?" Aside from all the evidence, Sasuke was the only witness to the incident that night and the only thing he had emphasized was that he had no doubt seeing Itachi butchering their parents. But since when was everything this easy? Naruto tried to shake off the thought but it wouldn't go away.

"That's why I'm asking, do you really think I did it?"

"Why else did you run away then?"

Naruto stared into the man's eyes. This time, trying to push away all the stories he had heard about him, he tried not to judge but just looking at what and who was before him. Surely he looked like a cold-hearted bastard who would shoot a police officer mercilessly. But was he really a murderer?

"I know you're not the best lawyer in the town kid, but I also know that Sasuke trusts you…so do I. That's why I want you to look into my eyes, see if I'm lying when I say that I didn't kill anybody. "

The meeting with Arashi was to be held tomorrow in Orochimaru's office and it made Sasuke infuriated. He hadn't even answered Orochimaru's assistant's calls in the past few days. Most of the calls he'd ignored were from Tora. He simply didn't want to talk to her; she was the product of his past he tried so hard to run away from. Kabuto called this morning though, reminding him about tomorrow which Sasuke dismissed right away. He didn't need a reminder for things and now he couldn't care less about anything at all. He already had sacrificed so much of his personal life for this crap, nevertheless he just wanted to enjoy this very night with a special someone.

It was still a mystery, even to him, how he cared so much about Sakura. The feelings he had towards her were different from what he felt towards Tora. He didn't know what it really was. He didn't know if it was love or anything else. He just felt comfortable in the pink haired woman's presence. With Tora it was another story, he felt a little masochistic around her, like he really hated her but he also wanted her so badly. He wanted to get away from her and at the same time he wanted to approach her. Tora made him confused. Sakura wasn't confusing.

Her emerald eyes reminded him of a love song, sad and beautiful. Her smile was true, like she had no veil to hide her true nature. She was who she was, not simple but, also not complicated. It seemed like her world was entirely different from his and it attracted him. Cause all he really wanted, was to get away from his life and to be drawn into hers.

Through time Sasuke learnt that Tora was the exact image of himself whereas Sakura stood on the opposite side. At least that was what he had learned from her so far. He couldn't lie to himself, he enjoyed and cherished every minute of being with her and whenever he looked at her, he felt his heart beating crazy inside his chest, like the first time his eyes laid upon her face. Now, he didn't exactly believe in love at first sight.

With the beeping sound of the elevator, Sasuke got up from the sofa and looked between the white columns to see who had just entered the apartment lobby; his eyes fell on a pink-haired woman. But she wasn't the Sakura he knew or…was she?

The woman could have graced any billboard or magazine cover, because she was better than those two dimensional photo-altered models. She had worn a mid-night colour long dress that was cut low in the back and highlighted every curve on her body. Her hair was elegantly pinned up to help accentuate her delicate spin although the hesitation in her movements indicated that she was indeed Sakura, the girl he knew, except that she looked exceptionally different. Sasuke expected her to wear a brighter colour, maybe something…red again. Didn't he tell her how much red suited her? Not that black looked any lesser on her, anyway.

"Hi." She said, a smile tugging at her pink lips.

Sasuke looked at her with admiration in his eyes "You look…different." And as Sakura looked at herself worriedly, he felt a smirk crawled on his lips. "Stunning." He finally said, earning an unsure glance from the girl.

"Thank you." She answered calmly as Sasuke walked towards her, looking amusingly at her, she placed her coat over her shoulders.

"Are you ready?" he asked and she only nodded in response. With that he reached for her hand and held it in his own gently as they left the apartment for the car outside.

Once they were outside, Sakura could see the black Audi parked across the street. Still holding her hand and making sure that she was close, he walked her to the car. With his key fob, he opened the car door for her and made sure she was seated safely and was comfortable. Once he had made her comfortable, he slid into the driver's seat, put his seatbelt on and started the engine.

"Okay, let's go." He said in a soft and gentle voice, as his hand slightly touched her knee. Sakura's breath was caught at the motion, if she wasn't sitting down; she would have melted into oblivion as the man next to her had a magic touch. As the engine started, he drove to the main street which led to the route out of the city.

"So is there any exact destination to this 'special place'?" Sakura smiled cheekily.

Sasuke looked at her from the corner of his eye, smirking. "You'll find out soon."

She let out a sigh, crossing her arms. To be honest she wasn't comfortable with the idea of leaving the city like that. Maybe she was just having paranoia; still she couldn't brush off all the different thoughts swirling in her head.

"Hope it won't be the same special place that you'd taken all the other girls on the list." Sakura laughed nervously, looking at how tensed the dark-haired man got all of a sudden, she regretted opening her mouth immediately.

"What list?"

Sakura waved her hand like it was only a bad joke and gave him a fake smile. "You know that list of the girls that you've dated till now," Sasuke narrowed his eyes and she continued. "The one your friend said only pink was left on it-" She trailed off, biting down her bottom lip as the man clenched his jaw.

There was a moment of silence after which Sasuke finally replied. "There's no list." His voice was icy and drained out of any emotion as he turned and looked into her emerald eyes momentary. "Listen Sakura, if I didn't like-" He paused mid-sentence and eyed her. He didn't say anything else, he didn't even looked angry, he seemed more like… hurt.

Sakura felt her chest contract as she stole her eyes away from him, murmuring. "I-"

"It doesn't matter." He interrupted her, eyes fixed on the road ahead, as he spun the steering wheel onto the sandy shoulder of the road. For a moment Sakura thought maybe he decided to just turn back towards the city before he drove the car to a narrowed stony road down to the country part.

They didn't share another word with each other by the time the car approached some big black gates with gold handles engraved on them. The sunlight was already fading away once the gates completely opened for them to enter. The car drove through and down a driveway that seemed like a lane all on its own. The car drove all the way down until a white house appeared in their sight.

The huge house was actually a beautiful, old-fashioned Japanese mansion only that it was designed with a thousand glittering lights and it shone throughout the darkness. There was also a marble fountain in front of the building and all sorts of modern cars were parked around it. People were stepping out of the cars, walking up the rocky stairs up to the house. It seemed like some sort of elegant party was going on as the faint sound of the traditional music could be heard from inside the building.

Sakura couldn't tear her eyes away from the mansion; she had never seen a house like this before, although it looked more like a palace. Sakura thought it probably belongs to a prince or someone really rich. From the corner of her eye she saw Sasuke stepped out of the car. His face was as emotionless as a statue while he took out a box from the backseat and then walked to the passenger's to open the door for Sakura. She forced a smile, which was soon dropped when she realized Sasuke wasn't going to respond to it.

He gave his car keys to the valet and without saying a word offered his arm to Sakura. She hesitated for a moment but soon pushed back all the doubts and gripped his arm and let him escort her to the house.

Sakura glanced at the other couples at the entrance, laughing and chatting. Then she looked back at Sasuke's cold-stoned face again. Letting out a sigh, she thought sure as hell it's going to be a long ass night if he looks like he's having constipation all the time.

"Welcome sir." The man in the black tuxedo exclaimed loudly, pulling Sakura out of her thoughts. "Ma'am, please let me take your coat." Taking off her coat, Sakura threw a smile at the man and Sasuke only nodded dully in response as they walked into the mansion.

The inside of the mansion took Sakura's breath away. Despite the chilling air of the early February, inside the house was warm and cheerful. The design mostly contained warm colours, shades of red, dark brown and orange could be seen in everything and everywhere, such as the furniture, the walls and the various paintings hanging on them. The wooden floor of the lounge was perfectly polished and ornamented with elegant carpets as people walked on them towards a big golden door.

Sakura felt the warmth seeping into her body as she heard the orchestra music coming from behind the door. They stopped at the entrance when Sasuke pulled her closer to himself.

"What is it?" She asked. Somehow it seemed a little weird to talk to him after the awkward moment in the car. Sasuke didn't respond right away, he opened the little box he had been carrying since they had entered the mansion and pulled out two masks.

She picked up the feminine looking golden mask and arched an eyebrow at Sasuke who still hadn't even spoken a word. "A mask?"

Picking up the white half-mask, Sasuke put it on his face; he gave Sakura a weak smile, offering his hand for her to take, he finally said. "We all have different ways of showing our true selves."

For a moment Sakura was stunned at the sudden change in his expression. Suddenly it seemed like that gloomy Sasuke was replaced with an entirely different person, someone who actually knew how to smile sweetly. She was confused, mixing up the two personalities, who was this man? How could he change so suddenly? Still the answer was irrelevant to her. She didn't care right now. All she knew was that no matter what he would say, the feelings that his eyes held would never change. She smiled back and took the man's hand as the double doors swung open in a dramatic fashion, displaying an enormous ballroom that was filled with peaceful music and more than one hundred couples, all dancing gracefully on the polished dance floor.

"Shall we dance, now?"

The silky voice, echoing in her ears, made her dizzy. Nevertheless she tried to at least control her own breathing. "I…I'm not really good at dancing, you know." That wasn't entirely a lie. The only dancing classes that Sakura had ever taken was back in high school and once again Ino had force her into them, they were also the only classes that she used to skip every time to hide herself in the library and study more.

To her surprise Sasuke leaned closer, smirking into her neck, he sent exciting impulses throughout her nerve system, making her shiver like a vulnerable leaf hanging on a tree. Sakura wasn't sure if he really took joy in torturing her like this every damn time.

"Just follow my lead." He whispered, this time not giving her time to object as he gently pulled her onto the dance floor and as the next song began, the couple started moving.

The slow orchestral music filled the room, sweeping the couples on the dance floor along like leaves in a slow river. Sasuke took her close to his chest, like he feared that he was going to lose her any second now as he stared into her jade eyes unknowingly. Somehow, he knew that those jade eyes had bewitched him, and he wasn't able to look away.

They danced in silence, despite what Sakura had said earlier, she wasn't a really bad dancer, if anything she was the perfect match for his movements. On the other hand, Sasuke was professional at what he was doing, he knew her every single movement and he could also add new elements to it. Their moves weren't harsh; they were smooth and swift at the same time, having the exact rise and fall of the music in their ears.

As the music started to rise into a crescendo, Sasuke's hand travelled to the curve of her back, touching her spin and drawing her even closer to him.

She gazed into his eyes. "Well aren't you full of surprises?" Her rosy cheeks heating up at the man's gentle touches.

He smirked satisfyingly in response when they almost pressed together. "You haven't even seen a half of it." He said, releasing his arm around her waist and twirling her before bringing her close to him again.

Sakura felt the room was spinning around her head, funny she hadn't even drunk yet and she felt so out of control, his warm breath dancing on her neck, the way his cologne smelled, the gentle touches on her back-

She didn't know if he was able to see the high sense of happiness radiating across her face or not. She wasn't sure if he was feeling the same or not, only when she saw how their faces were only inches apart, she realized… how much of her life she had wasted. How her previous relationship made her a mess, she wasn't aware of how truly sad and unfortunate she really had been inside until this night, until this very moment.

Her heart was thumping, she was alive and for the first time in a long time she felt extremely happy about it. Happy to feel alive once again, happy from the bottom of her heart and she wanted him to see her, to see her true self, the happy bright girl she always had been. It had returned, her true nature was here, in front of this very man. The last notes of the song was fading as she felt the tears rolling down her cheeks as she pulled away and took off her mask.

She stopped; her lips quirked into a slight smile. "I don't need a mask to show you who I really am."

Sasuke didn't respond even though she waited for him to say something. She actually wanted him to take his own mask off but maybe she just expected too much, 'cause that never happened. She inhaled deeply, moving away from him when she felt his grip on her wrist. He didn't ask anything, but she could see in his eyes that he was seeking an answer.

"I need some fresh air."

"Come with me, then." Sasuke murmured, touching Sakura's hand. Her fingers laced with his as they went to the far side of the room. He took her to where a silky red curtain separated a small balcony from the main ballroom. He held the curtain aside and gestured for Sakura to go ahead.

Once the cool breeze touched her cheeks, she felt relieved. Sakura took a deep breath and walked to the marble statue of the lion. She closed her eyes for a moment, hearing Sasuke's footsteps getting closer. Then she opened them and looked at the deserted area, all around the mansion was filled with tall oak trees. They were so far away from the huge crowded city.

"Where are we?" She asked, looking back at Sasuke, she was pleased that he had already decided to take off his mask. "It seems like this beautiful mansion has just magically appeared in the middle of nowhere."

"This place was actually a winter palace that had been constructed under Prince Akihito's command in 1662." Sasuke said, glancing over at her to see if he had got her attention. She seemed interested in the subject so far. "His great grandson is one of my clients, he owns this place."

"Oh wow, you've got princes as your clients, that is…" Sakura tapped her chin thoughtfully, before grinning. "Scandalous."

Sasuke was satisfied with her bright smile even though he could still see the tears trailing on her cheeks, he cleared his throat. "He invited me to this masquerade ball for charity. I'd said I would donate money as much as it's needed, but I wasn't really going to partake."

"But you came."

"Yeah."

Sakura leaned against the statue with crossed arms. She was already freezing but she really didn't want to go back inside either. The dance had made her really dizzy besides, she could really use this opportunity to learn more about him. She studied the man's expression; his eyes were fixed on the scenery as Sakura decided to speak.

"Come to think of it you haven't really told me much about yourself."

"There's not much to say." He answered dryly.

Sakura scowled; there goes the emotionless veil once again. Her eyes fell on the mask in his hands. "You know what my uncle says? Don't lower your mask until you have another one prepared beneath." Sasuke looked at her through narrowed eyes; she sighed and tore her eyes away. "Now I get what he meant by that."

Sasuke was taken aback for a moment, his muscles tensed as if his defences have just been destroyed by this woman. He glanced up at the solemn clouds. "My parents are…dead." He finally said.

Sakura gaped in silence, her eyes widening in shock. "I'm really sorry."

"That doesn't really matter now, it was in the past. I was only a child then."

Sakura looked at the man tentatively. He was good at veiling his emotions but still he couldn't hide the waves of emotions in those black eyes. Those eyes belonged to a lonely man who was still mourning for his family but there was also a bitter sensation to them. Sakura couldn't exactly say what it was but she felt a dark aura radiating from them that made her shiver inwardly.

"My mom's dead too." She changed the subject and at remembering the memory, she let a bittersweet smile graces her lips. She knew how it was to lose someone dear to you, only now she realized no matter how many years ago it had happened it was still a fresh wound. It still hurt to talk about it.

"She was diagnosed with cancer when I was 18. Now she wasn't exactly a supportive person, you know." She laughed and her laugh unfroze Sasuke's heart. He gazed into her eyes. She says she won't wear a mask now look at how she's trying to hide her tears. He felt like smirking but he decided not to as she started talking again.

"She was a head nurse. The best at what she did. She wanted me to be like her you know, responsible and helpful but it seemed like no matter what I did, she was never pleased with me. She always told me how useless I am, how I'm not good enough." Sakura paused, sniffing. "She always said I was never going to be able to finish high school, let alone get accepted into a good college. Guess I've always been a loser in her eyes." She shrugged, "That was why I tried so hard and studied to get accepted into medical school. That day I ran home, I wanted to tell her, to show her the proof that I could and I can, but she was already gone. I didn't know if I was sad because she was gone or because she was gone without approving me, without being proud of me…"

"My dad left a few days after her funeral. I didn't know why, maybe because he was too in love with my mom that he couldn't stay in a house without her in it. He always supported her when she was alive anyway." Sakura felt incredibly light as a feather, she really didn't want to share her life story but now she felt like it was a good idea after all, her heart wasn't that heavy anymore. She seemed surprisingly content.

"Since then I lived with my uncle, you gotta meet him sometime, he's really fun." She said, smiling. "He was the one who taught me kickboxing."

Sasuke tilted his head at that, cocking a brow. "Kickboxing?"

Sakura held her head high, grinning widely. "Yup baby, I can knock you out in the ring." She said, lifting her fists up and throwing punches in the air.

He smirked, crossing his arms. "Looking forward to it, then." He said suggestively, looking amusingly at her rosy cheeks.

"How did your parents die?" She asked out of nowhere, causing Sasuke's brow to crease.

"They were killed." The words tasted bittersweet in Sasuke's mouth. He didn't want to remember that night but, it seemed like no matter how much he tried it was impossible to run away from it.

Sakura wanted to ask who had done it but she swallowed her words even before they could leave her tongue. She didn't want to sound like she was forcing him into anything.

"Maybe that's why I chose to become a lawyer. I swore no matter what, I'd find him and put him in a court that would sentence him to death."

Perhaps Sakura had crossed the line this time; the earlier coolness had been replaced by the revulsion written all over his face. He'd said the words with a flash of hatred in his eyes.

The dry chuckle that left his lips caused Sakura's chest to tighten in sadness. "I'm not even sure why I'm telling you this-" He shook his head, his eyes meeting hers. Surely he had surprised himself a lot tonight. Of course letting his emotions slip out like that wasn't part of a plan but it happened and Sasuke didn't intend to let it bother him, for now.

How could he hide anything from those bright eyes? Gingerly he stepped to Sakura, taking off his coat; he put it on her slender shoulders.

"Guess that's the point of therapy, isn't it?" He whispered in her ears.

Sakura's heart skipped a beat and her stomach knotted. Standing so close to him again, refreshed all her desires as his eyes locked on her lips and he traced a delicate path against her skin and outlined the curve of her neck. At the base of her throat, her pulse throbbed madly, as though her heart had decided to relocate.

His hands continued their downward trail, sliding over the dress she wore. The heat of passion coursed through her, making her mad, prickling her skin and her senses. She was holding her breath, not daring to look away from his gaze. Those big green eyes were staring at him as she bit down her bottom lip and all the desire rammed him in the gut.

He wanted to feel the softness of her lips; he wanted to taste her sweetness, to get lost and to be set free from all the other emotions swirling in his soul. She was his gate away, she was his only way out and oh how much he really wanted her.

He leaned closer, their faces drawing near and he could feel the heat of her breath mingling with his as she closed her eyes just then. What seemed like a fear washed over him, like a bucket of ice water as he realized what he was doing, thinking what consequences might've followed such a simple act. Never had he ever felt such a dread wrapping around his body, limiting his actions.

He took a step back, inhaling deeply. "It's a little cold here, let's go back inside."

Sakura stood there, wondering what had just happened a few moments ago. She, too, took a step back, nodding in response she followed the man back inside. Somehow, deep down she had thought that he was going to kiss her. Such a silly thought, Sakura.

The rest of the party, Sasuke just continued avoiding her eyes and she never understood why.

The black Audi parked in front of Sakura's apartment as she gently walked out of the car. Sasuke followed her back to the apartment, still not talking, making Sakura feel more than a little awkward. If only she knew how to avoid these kind of silences that filled the space between them every now and then.

She stood at her doorway, she smiled. "How much did you donate by the way?"

"Ten thousand."

"One thousand for me."

"Hn. Not bad for a doctor."

Sakura retorted playfully. "The ball wasn't that bad either. Maybe next time try something more classic, like a Shakespeare's play."

Sasuke tucked his hand in his pocked, shrugging. "Hn. Romeo and Juliet."

"I was thinking of Othello." She said thoughtfully.

"If thou dost love me, show me thy thought." Sasuke exclaimed, putting a hand on his heart. It made Sakura giggle hysterically.

"O my fair warrior." She replied dramatically, earning a soft laugher from the man. "Oh wow, you should do that more often."

Sasuke paused in his trace, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

She lifted her chin and squared her shoulders. "The laugh thing, it's kinda..." She drawled, looking for an appropriate word. "Sexy."

He shrugged. "Maybe there are not a lot of reasons to laugh."

"Ah, don't be so hard on yourself."

"Thank you." He said out of the blue as a silence fell over them. Sasuke knew he had been a little vague with her but he didn't care, he just wanted to let her know that tonight meant a lot to him.

It would've been good if Sakura could actually read him, knowing what he was thinking about at the moment. "You're welcome, I guess." She hesitated. "Do you want to come in? I can make you some raspberry tea if you like."

"I'd like to but I got an important meeting with one of my clients tomorrow, his trial is this weekend so…" He heaved a sigh." I should head home, now."

"Hmm," Sakura nodded. "You do the right thing Mr. lawyer."

He threw her a cocky smirk. "Hn. I will."

"See you round, then."

Once the door was closed, Sasuke flipped out his phone while walking outside the apartment, he noticed he had fifteen missed calls and all of them were from Naruto. He let out a sigh, didn't really feel like calling him back now, he decided to call him tomorrow before the meeting as he headed back to his car.

By the time he got home, the front door was open ajar. He was sure that he had closed the door when he left earlier in the day. Maybe it was only Naruto; he always had an extra key still though he proceeded carefully, walking slowly inside. He had left a light on in the kitchen in case it was too dark when he arrived home. He checked around the house, picking up a baseball bat from the closet under the staircase, he started heading up to check the bedrooms as well.

When suddenly he felt a movement in his own bedroom, frowning he thought Naruto never went into his room. As he hid behind the wall and brought up the baseball bat as the shadow inside the bedroom walked outside, ready to hit the intruder in the head-

A scream filled the house. "Wait, wait…oh my gosh! Baby it's me."

Sasuke stood there in front of the purple-headed woman for a moment, he blinked dumbfounded. "Tora?"


	9. Chapter 9

A muffled thump at the end of the corridor broke the cold, dead silence of the police detention, making Itachi Uchiha open his eyes warily. He was never really asleep to begin with but now he'd be sure to stay wide awake, sitting up intensely alert.

He stood cautiously, leaning against the cold wall next to the cell bars, listening intently. _It might have been a guard,_ he thought still though he knew better than to drop his guard and act recklessly. The minute he gave himself up to the police, he knew he'd risked his life. Eventually _they_ 'd find out, feeling threatened they'd send their hit-men to hunt him down. But he didn't care, he had been hiding, running and killing all his life, he was tired. All he wanted now was to take back his identity, his life, at least whatever was left of it anyway.

The soft sounds of a single set of footsteps, made him certain of his sanity. It wasn't his imagination. Somebody was out there. The footsteps were careful and slow, as if the person making the steps didn't want them to be heard at all. _Now why would a guard want to walk like that?_ It wasn't like they cared about waking up a bunch of criminals.

Peeking out, he could see a tall shadow walking towards his cell; he took a quick glance at his surroundings. There was a small aluminium sink and matching toilet. A small rectangular slit on the far wall loomed high above his head meeting the ceiling that acted as a window. Taking a deep breath, Itachi felt as if a 1000-pound elephant had been standing on his chest as he plotted his next move, cautiously and quickly.

The man in black strode swiftly to the third cell from the left where he was captivated in. He lifted his hands to his long raincoat, as he stood in front of the cell. From behind the bars, he could see Itachi Uchiha sleeping on the bed, lying under a thick blanket, a flash of darkness passed the man's eyes as he took out a pistol, putting a silencer against the barrel and taking an aim. One, two and three bullets- He shot the man down.

Feeling confident with how clean he'd done the job, he walked closer to the bars, opening the lock and entered to check the body. As he approached the bed, a dreadful sensation enveloped him. He turned around and got face to face with Itachi in one piece. He quickly took out his gun, aiming at Itachi's heart, but the man was fast enough to grab the intruder by his arm, twisting it behind his back and pushing the gun into his chest.

The intruder, on the other hand, was much bigger and muscular. He took advantage of his weight and height to grip Itachi by his wrist so that the gun was dropped on the ground. He then punched him in the jaw and pushed him hard against the wall. The force of it momentarily took the breath from Itachi, made him squeeze his eyes shut in pain. Backing away, the intruder once again kicked Itachi in the chest, but he grabbed his ankle and twisted it, hitting it hard with his elbow so that the crunching sound of the breaking bone echoed in the room.

Itachi then leaped to the ground as fast as he could, capturing the gun and pointing the barrel to the man, muffling his cries of pain with a single shot right in the forehead. The man dropped dead to the cell's floor. For a few minutes Itachi stood there, staring at the dead body. Feeling a dull pain spread around his chest, he tasted copper in his mouth. He knelt down next to the body. Although half of the man's face was hidden beneath a mask Itachi could feel the familiar aura. Perhaps he hadn't been careful enough. He started with searching the man's pockets and the first thing he found was a police badge.

He should've known their spies were everywhere.

"Damn it…" He gritted his teeth, this time reaching the man's mask to pull it down. His eyes widened in shock. He didn't want to believe what he was seeing. At that moment, no matter how much he wanted to deny it, it was useless. It still felt like a stab in the heart.

The intruder was his long-lost mate and colleague, _Kisame Hoshigaki._

* * *

 

* * *

"What the hell are you doing here, Tora?" Sasuke scowled, bringing down the bat he'd been holding.

Tora gave him a sly smile. "I called a few times but you didn't answer." He raised an eyebrow in response as Tora continued, "So-" she said cocking her head and reached out with her hand to stroke his cheek but he pulled away instantly. She froze for a few seconds, glaring bitterly at him. Still somehow she was able to pull out a fake smile. "I got worried."

"Keep your bullshit to yourself, Tora." Sasuke taunted. "How did you even get inside?"

"I found the keys."Tora answered wryly, taking out a keychain and rattling it in his face. Sasuke let out an angry huff and proceeded to get the keys but she took a step away, hiding the keychain behind her back. "Remember when you used to hide an extra under the kitchen's windowsill in case that knucklehead needed to come in and watch us fuck? Hmm, guess that weirdo always enjoyed seeing you naked." She winked. "See? I know you very well, honey."

"You're done?" Irritated, Sasuke strode to her and yanked the keys out of her grip. He then grabbed her arm and started dragging her downstairs. "Now get the fuck out of my house before I call the cops."

Tora felt her chest tighten as she smelled a light perfume on Sasuke's shoulder. It was the same perfume she'd smelled on him a few days ago it was true then, he had been seeing someone. She felt her eyes getting warm with fresh tears but she bit down her bottom lip, fighting the urge to cry. Oh how much she despised that disgusting odour and whoever wore it.

"Let me go!" By the time they reached the front door, Tora gave him a strong shove. "I'm not one of those bitches that you fuck every now and then and treat however you like."

"No, you're not." Walking to the doorframe, Sasuke put his hand on the doorknob, glaring daggers at Tora. "You're fucking worse; you're a plaque Tora." Arguing with her meant to face yet another drama from her and that wasn't what Sasuke wanted. He was tired and now a headache was adding to his trouble. "Just leave."

She was right though. She was always there, in his pain, helping him to get through the never-ending dog days. But she was seductive. She was a manipulator. Looking at her he could see his teenage years, all the drinking, smoking pot, using drugs, playing with guns and partying. She was the death penalty, suicidal. The one thing he feared the most to go back to now. Everything had changed since the last time they've been together though, he wasn't a wretched teen anymore. He had gotten over the past so long ago.

"I don't give a fuck about what was between us Tora." He shouted loud enough for his own ears to hear, too, reminding himself not to get affected by her dark charm."I got over you!"

She looked at him dully, not responding right away as she tucked her hand in her pocket, revealing a bottle of benzodiazepine. "Looks like you still haven't gotten rid of these. Do you still have trouble sleeping?" She threw the bottle at him. "Or maybe I shouldn't have been the only one who had to stay in that fucking asylum for over a year?"

So this is what it was about. She was angry at him because of what had happened to her. Back then he thought confining her to a rehab facility would help her. Knowing what kind of a person Tora was, he should've known what'll happen when she recharges.

Sasuke gazed down at the bottle in his hands. He was addicted to those pills but that didn't mean he was an addict like her. He never really needed any kind of therapy. Tora was mental, sneaking into his house like that and touching his stuff. He didn't even know how they had let her go this easily.

"You went through my stuff?" He clenched his jaw, pulling out his phone and dialling. "That's it, I'm calling the cops."

"Do you know about your brother?"

The purple-haired woman was fully aware of what she was doing. Itachi had always been Sasuke's weakest spot. She watched him freeze, but he didn't lift his chin to look at her. A satisfied smirk found its way on her face. "He got arrested a few days ago." She said, tilting her head. She knew she already had an upper hand. For once, Sasuke didn't know what she was talking about and it made her jolly. "Oh boy, you didn't know, did you? I thought that your boyfriend always tells you everything."

This time Sasuke lifted her head and stared at her, clutching the bottle in his hand. "How the hell do you know about this?" he asked irritably.

Tora shrugged, suddenly looking calm. He could see that she was enjoying his anger. "Itachi gave himself up to the police and requested an attorney instantly." Sasuke looked at her unexpectedly, but she only grinned in response and started walking gracefully towards the doors as Sasuke grasped her arm.

"I'm not finished with you, yet!" He snapped darkly.

She broke free out of his grip. Frowning this time, Tora leaned close enough to Sasuke so that her warm breath danced across his lips. She then closed her eyes as if she wanted to kiss him but not really. "Why don't you go and ask that Blondie the whole story? Maybe then, you'll understand who to trust." She lingered like that for a moment before stepping back and leaving.

* * *

 

* * *

The tip of his cigarette glowed an angry orange as he took a hard pull. He looked at the floating ice cubes in the glass that was filled with amber liquid. Just when he thought that nothing could drag him back to this hell, he'd been living in for so long; karma slapped him hard against the face. Waking him up from a sweet dream he'd been having and forcing him into reality.

_So Itachi is alive._

With a silent curse, he took a long sip of his drink, now staring at the empty glass. This was his fourth maybe fifth glass, but he didn't feel any different, maybe more numb, more distracted.

_Fuck Tora._

That bitch always had the power to pull out his worst nightmare. Now he just couldn't stop the flood of broken memories; couldn't control them, couldn't even hold on to them. Pulling deeply once again on the cigarette, he allowed the dizzying montage of images to pass by his half-opened eyelids.

_It was the night of Itachi's acceptance into the military academy. Father was looking proudly at him, smiling. I'd never ever seen him smile before. He was a serious man, an old veteran and the man of law. He was the head Konoha Police Department back then. It might've been a dream for him, seeing that his elder son was willing to follow his footsteps, he felt truly happy. Mother, on the other hand loved her sons unconditionally, but even she couldn't hide her bright laughs. They were like a fine melody, echoing in that house._

_It was the first time they had thrown a big party in honour of one of their children and had invited so many people. The old piano downstairs was playing and the faint sounds of the vocals could be heard in between all the talking and cheering. It was a blissful moment, seeing all the relatives, I never thought they even existed. I'd never seen the mansion this warm and comfortable, before. I felt pumped, adrenaline rushing into my veins as I ran around the house, playing with other kids without worrying about father's disapproving gaze on me. It was the last and an only time I was allowed to be a kid._

_And big brother was there, my idol, in the centre of the attention. I was the only one who could see how uncomfortable Itachi really felt. He never really liked to be in the spotlight. Maybe that was part of the reason he left early that night. Father didn't realize it, until they all gathered for supper; at first he was really mad but then the alcohol calmed him a little bit. But by the time the party was over and everybody was leaving, he started to get bitter again._

_Itachi didn't come back even after midnight._

_Eventually the peacefulness of the night forced everybody to sleep. I was in my room, reading a book late into the night as usual. Until a thunderous crash roared outside my room and I jumped out of my bed. My pulse sped up as I tip toed to my door. I heard a muffled cry of "No, no!" That sounded hauntingly like mother._

_I scrambled on my feet and took the steps two at a time, not sure what I was heading into. But knowing that mother sounded like she needed help in the worse way. I felt my heart pounding in my throat as I ran in the corridor without really seeing anything in the dim light of the moon. When I tripped over something and fell on the floor. I felt that my hands and clothes got sticky and wet but I didn't really realize what it was as I rolled over and got eye to eye with a pale, bloody face. I supposed the body belonged to one of the servants. She had a deep cut in the front of her neck that almost took her head off. She was still alive, I could see it by how her lips opened and closed like a fish out of the water but with every small movement, the wound bled even worse._

_I screamed and jumped on my feet, looking down at my clothes that were now covered in blood. I felt nauseous and dizzy but the scream, coming from down the hall, hit me hard again. I swallowed my fear, trying not to cry but I was scared. I cried for father, mother and big brother, there was no answer. Now even the screams were muffled. Only dead, deafening silence._

_I walked to my parents' room. But before I got close enough, I saw a shadow coming out of their room. I was paralyzed then. As a blinding white flash embraced the night sky, I saw Itachi standing at the doorway, looking dimly at me. My mouth felt dry and I seemed to forget how to breathe._

_"Brother…" I forced the words out._

_The dark sky growled hungrily and I felt my knees give up on my weight, as he moved away from the doorway and gave me a good view of what was inside._

_The white room was painted in crimson red._

Sasuke tried to touch his fingers to his temple. Shaking, his muscles taut, he pushed past the pain penetrating his skull, trying to white out the images. But he couldn't. All he saw was red, red handprints on the walls, on the ground, on the windows, the burning red painted his mind, his eyesight, everywhere. He tried to open his eyes, he tried to escape, to wake up from this nightmare but his hands were bound to a crimson wall. He could see that someone was with him in the room, he knew who it was, it was him.

_Why…?_

He asked in his mind but all he got was a pair of dull black eyes, staring back at him. Those indifferent eyes that Sasuke so badly wanted to gouge out. But he couldn't do anything. His hands were tight.

The glass shattering jolted him upright. He looked at his empty hands and the little pieces of glass of whisky. _Had he drifted to sleep? Why did he feel so worn out, then?_

He got up clumsily, feeling lightheaded as if he were about to lose consciousness again, he entered the bathroom and sat down on the toilet, putting down his head between his knees. His heart pounded. His head throbbed and as moments passed his head felt like it was going to explode.

Suddenly the alcohol decided to come back up. He jumped and turned quickly so he could allow it and the contents of his stomach to flow rather loudly into the toilet. His body felt as weak as a fragile kitten and his nausea wouldn't give him a break. He sat at the toilet seat, looking at his watch. It was somewhere around 5 to 5:30.

_Why won't the excruciating headache go away?_

Moving in a cat-like prowl, he pushed his weight on the washing sink to stand up. He looked into the mirror and saw a pale and ill-looking reflection of himself. He had let Tora and Itachi take control of him again. He'd let them make him weak and it made him furious. Exhaling sharply, he turned on the tap and washed his face, before taking some pain killers and unbuttoning his shirt. He needed a cold shower right now then he'd have some serious talk with Naruto.

* * *

 

* * *

As the faint morning light began to appear, Naruto woke up to the harsh sound of the doorbell ringing. And here he'd just got to the fun part of his dream. Looking drowsily at the clock, he rolled his eyes and put the pillow on his head, covering his ears. Whoever it was this early in the morning could just get lost for all he cared.

His eyelids were getting heavier, his thoughts turning a little hazy and just in the moment he was losing himself again, he jerked awake instantly, popping his eyes wide open from the loud sound of the impatient knocking on the door. For fuck's sake, all he wanted was another peaceful nap before beginning his insane day. Apparently though whoever it was wasn't going to give up easily. Having no choice but to get out of the warmth of his bed, he made his way out of the bedroom.

"Argh! I'm coming goddamit! Stop it already!" Groaning, as Naruto opened the door the chilly morning air made goose bumps skip along his skin. He let out a long yawn and glanced at the man outside, through half-opened eyelids.

"Sasuke…?" Naruto questioned being pushed out of the way. "What the hell, dude?" He protested, closing the door and looking at the frustrated-looking Sasuke. He sat on the sofa with a creased brow.

"Please don't tell you woke me this early, just to show me your poop face?"

Sasuke only glared daggers in response which made Naruto take a step back. He stood there by the door for a few seconds, waiting for his sour-faced friend to at least say a word but such high expectations, Naruto! He finally shrugged and decided to carry on with his usual morning routine.

Walking to the kitchen, Naruto shouted. "Hey, I'm gonna put the coffee on for myself, do you want me to get you anything?"

The blond-haired man waited another few seconds for him to answer but nothing came out. As if waking him this early wasn't enough, Sasuke had decided to piss him off even worse by ignoring him. Naruto sighed. Here goes another shitty day.

"You called." Sasuke mentioned out of the blue, dragging Naruto out of his sulking.

"What?" He asked, stepping out of the kitchen.

Sasuke scowled. "Are you fucking deaf?"

That's it! Naruto had got fed up with his attitude. "Whoa! What the hell is wrong with you man? First off you disappear off the face of earth for three goddamn days and then you show up at my door, looking constipated. Just what the eff…?"

"I heard he got arrested." Sasuke interrupted Naruto for the second time, looking expectedly at him.

"Who?" Naruto asked, confused. Still, he vaguely knew who Sasuke was mentioning.

"Itachi."

"Oh…" Naruto raised his brow. He opened his mouth to say something but he closed it immediately. After a short pause he finally said. "Who told you?"

Sasuke's face darkened. "So you knew?"

"Well that was part of the reason I tried to reach you."

Clenching his jaw, Sasuke stared blankly at the coffee table. "Did he request an attorney?" His glassy eyes fell dully on Naruto. Now Naruto could feel the faint trembling in Sasuke's voice. He didn't answer right away.

Sasuke shook his head. "Cause if he did, it means that he's foolish enough to think he can get away with what he'd done."

"He did actually." Naruto finally answered, sitting on a cushion in front of Sasuke.

The raven-haired man gulped visibly. "Who took the case? Sabaku?"

It wasn't like Naruto didn't want to tell him the truth; he just didn't know how it will affect him. Sasuke was like a brother to him, then again he wanted to do the right thing. But sometimes the line between wrong and right was so thin that it literally didn't exist.

"No-" He paused."Gaara didn't take his case."

Naruto watched Sasuke rubbing his face, annoyed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. "Who then?"

"Listen Sasuke," Naruto began but he wasn't sure what he wanted to say or how he wanted to explain it. He knew Sasuke hated Itachi so much even mentioning the man's name made his body tense up. But what other choice did he have? "I talked with Itachi."

There was a moment of silence then, before Sasuke repeated. "You talk with him."

"He wanted to see me."

"What did he tell you?"

Naruto might have been wrong but for a moment there, beneath all that seriousness and anger, Sasuke sounded a little hopeful, like a small child. "Sasuke, I think you should consider the possibli-"

"What the fuck did he tell you, Naruto?!" Sasuke yelled, cutting Naruto off for the third time in the last few minutes.

"He asked me to take his case."

At first Naruto thought maybe it wasn't as bad as he'd expected, seeing Sasuke's serene face. But then the raven-haired man cracked into laughter and the atmosphere got even tenser. "He's really lost his mind, hasn't he? Asking you of all people to take his case?" He looked hurt and desperate but that was the reality and reality had never been kind to him. He looked into Naruto's eyes momentary. "You accepted, didn't you?"

"Yes." Naruto gazed at the black bags under his eyes. He'd dressed well but his shirt collar was wrinkled, his hair was messy and underneath all the deodorant he'd worn, Naruto smelt alcohol, indicating the amount of Whiskey he'd consumed the other night. And he'd always been the immaculate one.

"I know what you went through, man-" Naruto started to speak but he stopped him.

"Is that why you accepted it?" Sasuke's hands balled into fists and the knuckles turned as white as the line around his lips. "Because you know what he did to me, to my family?"

"I didn't say that."

Getting up, Sasuke started shaking with pure anger. "I witnessed him slaughtering my parents!" Naruto frowned both in defence and sadness. He had never seen Sasuke confess it out loud." My brother… my blood brother did that!" He let out a shaky breath and smirked bitterly." How can I expect any better from a man who doesn't even share the same blood as me?"

The last sentence struck Naruto. He also got up from where he was seated. "Don't you ever say that!"

"I'm surrounded by traitors." Sasuke tilted his head." Congratulation, Naruto, you've just sold your friendship."

"Damn it teme. I'd never do that."

"You already did, you pathetic excuse of a human being!" Sasuke said, pushing Naruto back aggressively.

Naruto tried to keep his balance, grabbing Sasuke's shirt collar in response. "Why the fuck, don't you get it, Sasuke? I'm doing this for you! Maybe if it's proven he wasn't the murderer you always thought he was, you'll be able to forgive him." Naruto roared in his face." I wanna help you to get the fuck away from this pain."

"Fuck off!" Sasuke yelled back and punch Naruto in the guts. "You know nothing of my pain! You know nothing of how to have everything and lose it all over a night!" He gripped his shirt and pushed him to the ground, all in a while kicking him mercilessly. "You've always been a bastard child who was on his own from the beginning."

Naruto raised a howl and grabbed Sasuke's ankle, causing him to fall on the floor, he then pushed his body on his and started punching him. "You may be right but I want to give him a chance!" He threw another solid punch to the man's face breaking his nose. "Unlike you, I don't care about my reputation. If he's guilty, I'll drop the case."

He loosened his grip on Sasuke and looked at his blood streamed nose. Sasuke used this chance to shove him away as he gained his balance. Naruto didn't fight back, either, feeling a little regretful.

"Are those your last words?" He said, wiping the blood off his face and straightening his suit. "Remember Uzumaki, from now on, I won't lose a single chance to take you down. I'll destroy you and make sure Itachi's sentenced to death."

He turned away and left the house as Naruto sat on the ground staring through the half-opened door. He sighed, casting down his head. _Talk about a shitty morning._


End file.
